Vasilyev Blasts Her Way to National Tournament, Claims MVP Award in Women’s Tennis

Alexander City, AL—Freshman Ksenia Vasilyev, MMI's No. 1 singles player, proved that her undefeated season in Alabama Community College Conference play was no fluke.  She blasted through the women's flight 1 singles field to claim the MVP award in dominant fashion.

The hard-hitting, hard-charging Vasilyev played under the lights on Friday night and came out with her racket blazing, rocketing serves and ground strokes into the farthest reaches of the court.  She obliterated her opponent's serve with ease and then gobbled up all the short balls for clean winners, rolling to a 6-1, 6-1 romp over Coastal Alabama's Madelyn Stewart.

In the finals on Saturday morning, Vasilyev faced off against an opponent who had her on the ropes in an early-season match.  In that match, Vasilyev lost a string of seven straight games to lose the second set and go down 0-3 in the third and final set.  Vasilyev dug herself out of that hole and won the match, 6-4, 5-7. 6-4.

The stage was set for a titanic struggle between the blaster and the retriever (Central Alabama's Morgan Bishop).  Playing nearly flawless tennis in the first five games, Vasilyev tore out to a 4-1 lead.  Bishop chipped away at the lead to close the gap to one game.  At 4-3, Vasilyev polished off the last two games to take the first set, 6-3.

The second set was close from the start, with both players holding serve.  Again, as in the first set, Vasilyev broke away at 4-3 to take the second set and the match, 6-3, 6-3.

Vasilyev will now represent Marion Military Institute at the 2019 NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship that will be held at the JoAnn Medlock Murphy Tennis Center on the campus of Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.