Early fan favorites unveiled in EuroLeague Women Awards voting

MUNICH (Germany) - The EuroLeague Women Awards first returns in this years fan voting show Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding and Casademont Zaragoza stars leading the ballots, with Emma Meesseman the runaway leader in the MVP race.

Players of both clubs occupy the top four positions in both the frontcourt and backcourt polls as things stand. In the frontcourt category, Meesseman leads with 16 percent, while her Fenerbahce colleagues Natasha Howard and Nikolina Milic have polled 8 percent, along with Casademont Zaragoza standout Tanaya Atkinson.

When it comes to the backcourt, Fenerbahce shooting guard Kayla McBride leads with 12 percent, followed by Yvonne Anderson on 9 percent, with Zaragoza duo Leonie Fiebich and Mariona Ortiz next in line having polled 8 percent and 7 percent respectively.

The MVP race is a similar story, with Meesseman out in front at 25 percent of the vote and being chased by Fiebich and her teammate McBride, who have polled 19 and 13 percent respectively.

The representatives of both clubs occupy the current voting podium for the  Defensive Player of the Year ballot as well, with Ortiz in pole position on 20 percent, with Meesseman and Anderson next in line with 19 percent and 17 percent. 

Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding playcaller Valerie Garner is leading the Coach of the Year with almost a third of the votes on 33 percent, with Casademont Zaragoza's Carlos Cantero Morales grabbing a quarter of the votes on 25 percent. Rachid Meziane of Villeneuve d'Ascq LM is third with 20 percent. 

There's an intense battle in the Young Player of the Year voting , with Elena Buenavida of Valencia Basket Club on 21 percent and holding a slender lead over Sika Kone on 20 percent who plays for arch Spanish rivals, Perfumerias Avenida.

The leading players and coaches in the competition will be recognized for their efforts across the Regular Season and Quarter-Finals, with the winners of the awards decided by a combination of fan voting with the ballots of the EuroLeague Women coaches, team captains and selected media.

For all of the categories, the current situation after the first fan returns shows that every single vote will be vital before the poll closes at 12:00 PM CET on Monday, April 1.

Team of the Season

Backcourt 

1. Kayla McBride (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 12%
2. Yvonne Anderson (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 9%
3. Leonie Fiebich (Casademont Zaragoza) 8%
4. Mariona Ortiz (Casademont Zaragoza) 7%
5. Gabby Williams (LDLC ASVEL Feminin) 5%
6. Marine Johannes (LDLC ASVEL Feminin) 5%
7. Kennedy Burke (Villeneuve d'Ascq LM) 4%
8. Julie Allemand (LDLC ASVEL Feminin) 4%
9. Nina Aho (DVTK HUN-Therm) 4%
10. Marina Mabrey (Cukurova Basketbol Mersin) 3%

Frontcourt 

1. Emma Meesseman (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 16%
2. Natasha Howard (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 8%
3. Tanaya Atkinson (Casademont Zaragoza) 8%
4. Nikolina Milic (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 8%
5. Laura Gil (Perfumerias Avenida) 5%
6. Janelle Salaun (Villeneuve d'Ascq LM) 5%
7. Alexia Chery (LDLC ASVEL Feminin) 4%
8. Bridget Carleton (Serco UNI Gyor) 4%
9. Sika Kone (Perfumerias Avenida) 3%
10. Milica Jovanovic (DVTK HUN-Therm) 3%

MVP

1. Emma Meesseman (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 25%
2. Leonie Fiebich (Casademont Zaragoza) 19%
3. Kayla McBride (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 13%
4. Kennedy Burke (Villeneuve d'Ascq LM) 9%
5. Reka Lelik (DVTK HUN-Therm) 9%

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Mariona Ortiz (Casademont Zaragoza) 20%
2. Emma Meesseman (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 19%
3. Yvonne Anderson (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 17%
4. Gabby Williams (LDLC ASVEL Feminin) 14%
5. Maite Cazorla (ZVVZ USK Praha) 9%

Young Player of the Year

1. Elena Buenavida (Valencia Basket Club) 21%
2. Sika Kone (Perfumerias Avenida) 20%
3. Louise Bussiere (Basket Landes) 14%
4. Aminata Gueye (Villeneuve d'Ascq LM) 14%
5. Reka Dombai (Serco UNI Gyor) 10%

Coach of the Year

1. Valerie Garnier (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding) 33%
2. Carlos Cantero Morales (Casademont Zaragoza) 25%
3. Rachid Meziane (Villeneuve d'Ascq LM) 20%
4. Peter Volgyi (DVTK HUN-Therm) 11%
5. Natalia Hejkova (ZVVZ USK Praha) 7%

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 FIBA