BOSTON, Mass. -- Sophomore and Little East Conference Most Outstanding Player Elena Albano earned LEC Player of the Week honors and freshman Ayra Shaikh took home her fourth Rookie of the Week award in Women's Tennis for hte 2022 Little East Conference Champion Beacons as announced by the Little East Conference league office on Tuesday morning.

Women's Tennis: Elena Albano - Player of the Week 

Sophomore Elena Albano capped off a stellar second season for UMass Boston leading the Beacons to two big #3 Doubles wins against fourth-seeded UMass Dartmouth and second-seeded Rhode Island College to help UMass Boston win their first Little East Conference Championship in program history. Albano defeated senior McKenzie Ferrari and junior Caroline Lemieux, 8-0, alongside sophomore Ayonna Stuppard before upsetting freshman Erica Botelho and Serena Bobola in the championship, 8-7 on tiebreaker after trailing 6-3 in the tiebreaker set with Stuppard again.

Albano finished the year with a 9-2 record in Doubles and 8-1 record in Singles.

Women's Tennis: Ayra Shaikh - Rookie of the Week 

Freshman Ayra Shaikh helped spearhead UMass Boston to their first Little East Conference Championship in program history, going 4-0 on the week between the LEC Semifinals against fourth-seeded UMass Dartmouth and second-seeded Rhode Island College. Teaming up with junior Yana Semerly in a pair of #2 Doubles, the duo took down freshman Zuri Walters and sophomore Claire Yang, 8-0, before defeating sophomore Amara Devine and junior Amiah Sommer in the championship, 8-1.

In singles play, Shaikh defeated Walters in the semifinals, sweeping the fellow freshman 6-0 in both sets of the #2 Singles. The Weymouth, Massachusetts native would go on to win the #3 Singles in the championship match versus freshman Erica Botelho, winning in two sets by identical scores of 6-1.

Shaikh finished the season with an 8-1 record in Doubles and a 9-1 record in Singles.

UMass Boston will await the NCAA Division III Tournament bracket which will come out next May, but are slated to play a handful of home matches during the spring, starting with Wheaton College at home on March 23^rd, 2023.