Munson, Cilli take home NEC major awards; 4 named All-NEC
SOMERSET, N.J. -- Bryant University women's tennis head coach Barbara Cilli earned Northeast Conference Coach of the Year honors, while freshman Caitlyn Munson was named the NEC Rookie of the Year, the league announced on Thursday.
Cilli picks up her third NEC Coach of the Year honor, while Munson becomes the third NEC Rookie of the Year in program history. In addition, Ada Boru, Leanne Kendall, Munson and Olivia Rondini all earned All-NEC recognition.
The 2021-22 season might be Cilli's finest in her 22-year career. After guiding the Black and Gold to the NEC Championship match in 2020-21, Cilli led the Bulldogs to their second NEC title in historic fashion this spring. Seeded fourth, Bryant defeated top-seeded and four-time defending champ Long Island in the semis before taking down Fairleigh Dickinson in the championship. In doing so, Bryant became the first four seed in the history of the NEC Championships to win the title. It is Cilli's second NEC Championship and was win No. 230 in her illustrious career.
Munson becomes the third NEC Rookie of the Year in program history after going 12-7 in singles play and teaming with Rondini to post an 18-3 record. She was 10-6 in dual matches, going 3-2 against NEC opponents. Munson earned a huge straight-set victory in the NEC Semis vs LIU and then was in a third set in the championship match when Bryant clinched. In doubles, Munson advanced to the ITA Super Regionals with Rondini and the duo have won 14-straight matches. Munson also picked up wins over players from Siena, Bucknell, FDU, Fairfield and Fordham.
Boru picks up All-NEC First Team honors in singles and doubles for the third time her career. She posted a 5-11 dual match record in singles but closed the year with three-straight victories to help the Black and Gold win their second NEC title. Boru won her quarterfinals match, was in a third set of her semifinal match and then clinched the championship with a memorable three-set victory. In doubles, she formed the league's premier duo with Kendall. They posted a 16-5 overall record and were undefeated against league opponents.
Kendall earns All-NEC First Team honors in singles for the first time in her career and picks up All-NEC First Team doubles honors for the second-straight year. She went 12-9 overall, including a 6-1 mark against league opponents. Kendall won each of her last four matches, winning all three matches at the NEC Championships. She earned come-from-behind three-set victories in both the NEC Semis and the NEC Championship. She teamed with Boru to form the league's premier duo, going unbeaten against league opponents.
Munson and Rondini gave Bryant two of the most dominant doubles teams in the NEC and were named All-NEC Second Team. The duo started their year with a run to the ITA Supers in the fall and then proceeded to go 14-1 in dual matches, winning each of their last 14. That run included victories over Siena, FDU, UMass, Quinnipiac, UConn and LIU. Munson and Rondini won 6-4 in both the NEC Semis and NEC Championship.
In addition, Munson was also named to the NEC All-Rookie squad.