NASHVILLE – Lipscomb's Mariia Dolzhenko of the women's tennis team was named the ITA Ohio Valley Rookie of the Year, it was announced on Wednesday. Dolzhenko was previously named the 2024 ASUN Freshman of the Year, Second Team All-ASUN and an unanimous decision to the ASUN All-Freshman Team. 
 
Dolzhenko put up an incredible collegiate debut season for the Bisons this year. She collected an overall record of 29-9 this season with a harrowing 17-4 mark in singles play along with a staggering 13-5 record in doubles alongside Sofiia Paladi. Dolzhenko flexed her aggressive, fast-paced style of play to earn 16 straight-set wins. Dolzhenko stood at 8-2 against conference opponents. With her momentum-claiming wins inspiring the Bisons, Lipscomb's squad put together an incredible season - earning their first national ranking as a team, earning their second-highest win total in the Jamie Aid era (15), earning the squad's highest total of regular season conference wins in the Jamie Aid era (7), and claiming their highest seed in the ASUN tournament in program history. Dolzhenko was consistently one of the first singles matches over, flexing her skill on the courts to bring the Bisons as many points as possible this season, scoring a total of 90-43 points this season.