DALLAS – Louisiana Tech’s Zoie Epps and FIU’s Valery Gynina and Ekaterina Khairutdinova were named the first Conference USA Tennis Athletes of the Week to kick off the 2025 spring season, the league announced Wednesday.
 
CUSA Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week – Zoie Epps, LA Tech, So., Norman, Okla.
After going 12-2 in singles in the fall, Epps picked up right where she left off to start the spring dual season. At the Hurricane Invite, hosted by Tulsa, the sophomore went a perfect 3-0 in singles at the No. 2 position without dropping a single set. She won two matches on day one, defeating opponents from Arkansas State (6-2, 7-5) and Wyoming (6-2, 6-0). She capped off the weekend by besting Tulsa’s Lily Hutchins (6-4, 6-4).
 
CUSA Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Valery Gynina, FIU, So., Moscow, Russia
Ekaterina Khairutdinova, FIU, Jr., Krasnodar, Russia
 
Gynina and Khairutdinova went 3-0 at FIU’s season opening home invitational. The opened the weekend with a 6-2 win over Houston’s Iva Sepa and Sophie Schouten before posting a 6-1 win over Mizzou’s Mary Brumfield and Lailaa Bashir.  The Panthers wrapped up the first weekend of 2025 competition with a victory over Malwina Rowinska and Lara Smejkal of FAU.
 
2025 CUSA Men’s Tennis Athletes of the Week
J15       N/A
 
2025 CUSA Men’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
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2025 CUSA Women’s Tennis Athletes of the Week
J15       Zoie Epps, LA Tech
 
2025 CUSA Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
J15       Valery Gynina & Ekaterina Khairutdinova, FIU