Aguirre Voted Empire 8 Conference Women's Tennis Rooke of the Year
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Women’s Tennis freshman Marian Aguirre (Plano, TX/Plano), was voted the Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Year.
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Women's Tennis freshman Marian Aguirre (Plano, TX/Plano), was voted the Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Year. The freshman, who went a combined 25-2 across singles and doubles, was one of five Gators to earn All-Conference honors. Also garnering All-Conference status were: freshman Juliana Gagliardi (Schenectady, NY/Tech Valley), freshman Olivia Monaco (Campbell Hall, NY/Washingtonville), Emma Nuzzi (Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake), a grad student, and junior Tirzah Spivey (Clifton Park, NY/Schenectady). The league office announced the results of the voting, which was done by the head coaches, earlier today.
"Marian came in on day one with a level of focus that is rare among first-year student-athletes," said Head Coach Michael Branche. "She constantly looked to improve and work on every aspect of her game. Her dedication to her craft was shown on the court match after match. I am very proud of her accomplishments this year and am excited to see what is to come for her future."
Aguirre and Spivey garnered first-team All-E8 status. The duo both went undefeated in singles competition this fall, helping the Gators reach the Semifinals of the E8 Championship Tournament and establish the program's single-season records for E8 victories with five. Aguirre, a two-time E8 Player of the Week, was 12-0 at number one, while Spivey, who was voted All-Conference for the third-straight autumn, went 13-0 at number two.
"Tirzah displayed her incredible skill set every match and left it all out on the court. Her dedication to her teammates and competitive nature led her to great success," commented Branche.
The top two RSC doubles parings: Spivey and Nuzzi, and Aguirre and Monaco were selected All-E8. Spivey and Nuzzi were the top RSC doubles team, going 10-4 together, 6-2 in E8. Aguirre teamed with Monaco for a 13-2 overall doubles ledger, 6-2 within the E8, including a 1-0 record playing at number one.
"Tirzah and Emma displayed their excellent chemistry throughout the year," said Branche. "Their understanding of each other's strengths and how they fit into a doubles match allowed great success throughout the season. They have an innate ability to make in-game adjustments that allowed for the success they saw in the 2024 season."
"Olivia and Marian developed chemistry early in the season and used that to build a foundation for their partnership," added Branche. "They were unafraid of the big moments and came up with big victory after big victory, including their win in the semifinals of the E8 tournament. I am very proud of their development and how they pushed each other to be better."
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024 E8 Women's Tennis Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen. Gagliardi represented the Gators on the squad.
"Juliana is a teammate every team needs," said Branche. "She works extremely hard, is incredibly supportive to everyone on the team, and will give everything she has on the court. Jules was the glue to our team this year and the success we had could not have been done without her."
Gator Bites: RSC, qualified for the E8 Championship Tournament for the third time in program history and also won their first-ever E8 postseason match…The Gators reached the E8 semifinals for the second-time ever and established a program single-season record with five E8 Conference wins…The 2017 and 2019 teams both had four Conference victories…RSC got off to a 6-1 start, its best in a season since 2019…The Gators went 9-1 to begin that fall and finished 10-4…This year's roster featured six newcomers and seven returnees on this year's roster…Spivey is now a three-time All-Empire 8 Conference singles selection…Aguirre was selected the E8 Player of the Week for the periods ending Sunday, September 8 and Sunday, September 15…Monaco and Aguirre were chosen the Conference's Doubles Team of the Week for the period ending Sunday, September 22…The duo went 2-0 playing number two doubles that week, winning their two matches by a combined score of 16-4…The first-years started their debut doubles campaign 9-0 overall, 8-0 at number two doubles,… Spivey and Nuzzi were chosen the E8 Doubles Team of the Week for the period ending Sunday, September 29…The top doubles pairing defeated Saint John Fisher 8-1 on Saturday, September 28…Spivey was tabbed the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, October 6…She went 3-0 in singles that week, including defeating the reigning E8 Player of the Year from Hartwick on October 4.
