Victoria Lozano played great tennis through September and it paid off, earning her the WAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Month Award.
“It’s great,” Lozano said. “It feels nice to be recognized for my efforts.”
The sophomore from Guadalajara, Mexico, walked right through a series of top-ranked opponents from Boise State, Portland State, Gonzaga and Montana to advance to semi-finals in singles and doubles at the Cougar Classic Sept. 23 to 25 in Pullman.
Lozano said although this is an individual award, she owes her team for a lot of her success.
“The WAC award was for me but it was also for my team because in the end we are a whole team and the WAC award is for everyone,” Lozano said.
Last month, Lozano went 3-1 in singles and 2-1 in doubles, all against seeded opponents. Even with her record, Lozano said she was caught off guard by the award.
“It feels great,” Lozano said. “I think for all my WAC awards it has been a surprise and I didn’t expect it.”
Women’s tennis coach Daniel Pollock said Lozano may not have expected the award, but she earned it.
“It shows how hard she has been working,” Pollock said. “She worked really hard over the summer and she got in really good shape.”
Lozano joined the Vandals last fall and went 5-6 in singles and 6-3 in doubles. The following spring, she went 15-10 in the top two singles spots and 17-7 in the No.1 doubles spot. After her debut season as a Vandal, Lozano was named the team’s Most Valuable Player.
From team MVP to WAC honoree, Lozano has seen her share of awards. She was the WAC Player of the Week as a freshman in March 2011 after going 3-0 in both the No.1 singles and No.1 doubles on the week. Lozano was also a second-team all-WAC selection in singles and a second-team all-WAC selection in doubles going into the spring 2011 season.
Pollock said the WAC Player of the Month Award
is a great honor for Lozano and that it is a boost for the whole team.
“Any award that anyone gets is good for the team and good for the morale,” Pollock said. “Vicky had a great tournament so she definitely
deserves it.”