Moulton-Levy Named CAA Player of the Year for Fourth Time

Senior Megan Moulton-Levy received the CAA Player of the Year honor, head coach Kevin Epley was named the league coach of the year and four Tribe players received all-conference accolades.

04/17/08 7:30PM

Newport News, Va. - Senior Megan Moulton-Levy joined another exclusive club on Thursday night at the Colonial Athletic Association Awards Banquet, highlighting significant haul of accolades for the Tribe. Moulton-Levy became the first W&M athlete and only the fourth in the history of the CAA to garner league player of the year honors in each of her four seasons, garnering the 2008 CAA Player of the Year on Thursday evening. W&M head coach Kevin Epley was named the CAA Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his five seasons at the helm of the Tribe program. Juniors Kat Zoricic and Klaudyna Kasztelaniec along with sophomore Ragini Acharya also garnered All-CAA honors at the banquet.

Moulton-Levy, who is currently ranked No. 8 nationally, joined Marina DiGiacomo (field hockey, 1997-00), Mary Kay Bolduc (women’s swimming, 1996-99) and Nataly Cahana (women’s tennis, 2001-04), all of Old Dominion, to receive CAA Athlete of the Year honors during all four years of their collegiate careers. She is the 11th Tribe women’s tennis player on the 16th occasion to garner the league’s player of the year award. Moulton-Levy is 26-6 on the year, including an 18-4 ledger at the No. 1 singles slot. All six of her losses have come to players currently ranked in the top seven nationally. Her 119 career singles wins rank as the third most in W&M school history.

Epley guided the Tribe to a 14-8 regular season mark and a No. 26 national ranking against one of the toughest schedules in the nation. The Tribe played 18 teams currently ranked in the ITA national computer poll, including 10 opponents among the top 21 teams in the country. The College owns wins over current No. 15 Fresno State and No. 16 Arkansas this season. Over Epley’s five seasons, the Tribe has amassed a 92-39 (.702) mark, and he has been rewarded with the CAA Coach of the Year honor during four of those five seasons.

For the second straight season and the fifth time in the last six years, the Tribe had a trio of players named to the All-CAA First Team. Both Zoricic and Acharya joined Moulton-Levy on the first team in singles. Zoricic received First-Team All-CAA honors for the third straight season after posting 21 victories overall and 14 at the No. 2 singles slot. She has been ranked for most of the 2007-08 season and knocked off a trio of nationally ranked foes during the year.

Acharya garnered first-team all-conference honors in singles for the second time in as many seasons. The Pulaski, Va., native is currently ranked No. 114 nationally in singles and leads the Tribe with 28 singles wins on the year. In just two seasons with the Tribe, Acharya already owns 60 singles victories and defeated five nationally ranked foes this season. Playing primarily at the No. 3 singles slot, she owns a dual-match mark of 15-7.

Moulton-Levy, Zoricic and Acharya also comprised the pair of Tribe doubles teams on the All-CAA First Team. Moulton-Levy and Zoricic, who are currently ranked No. 11 nationally, headline the group at 25-7 overall, including an 18-4 mark at the No. 1 spot. Over the last three years, the pair has received first-team all-league honors while posing an impressive 88-21 ledger as a tandem. The pair has defeated both the current No. 1 and No. 3 ranked doubles pairs nation-ally this season. Moulton-Levy owns the W&M record for career doubles wins with 120, while Zoricic ranks sixth in that category at 99.

Zoricic also earned first-team doubles honors with Acharya. The pair played exclusively during the fall season and racked up a 5-2 ledger, including three wins over teams currently ranked in the national top 40. Acharya and Zoricic are currently ranked No. 43 nationally in the ITA doubles poll released on April 13.

Kasztelaniec earned Second-Team All-CAA singles honors after garnering third-team distinction a season ago. The Krakow, Poland native owns a singles record of 23-11 on the year, including 14 victories at the No. 4 single slot. Kasztelaniec has knocked off three nationally ranked foes this season and spent part of the spring dual-match season ranked in the national singles standings. The Tribe also produced a Second-Team All-CAA doubles team in Kasztelaniec and Acharya. The pair is 7-4 on the year, all at the No. 2 doubles position, and is currently riding a five-match winning streak entering the CAA Championship. It marks the second straight season in which Kasztelaniec has been a member of the All-CAA Second Team in doubles.

The top-seed Tribe will begin defense of its CAA Championship on Friday, April 18, in the quarterfinals against No. 8 seed James Madison. W&M’s quarterfinal tilt is slated for a 2 p.m. start time at the Huntington Park Tennis Center. The winner will meet either No. 4 seed Georgia State or No. 5 Delaware in the semifinals at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 19. The CAA Championship match is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 20. The winner of the league title will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. W&M will look for its 20th CAA title in the 23-year history of the league.

Complete CAA Awards List (PDF)