FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLBY, KUDRJAVTSEV NAMED BATES ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

LEWISTON, Maine -- Junior volleyball player Amanda Colby of Willimantic, Conn., and sophomore tennis player Dmitri Kudrjavtsev of Tallinn, Estonia, have been named Bates Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sept. 20.

Colby was the volleyball team's top hitter as the Bobcats went 3-0. Colby, a middle hitter, led the team to first place at Bates Round Robin Sept. 18-19 with wins over Colby College (16-14, 15-12, 15-6) and Gordon College (15-5, 15-9, 8-15, 15-4). She had 30 kills and just four errors in 46 attempts, for a .565 hitting percentage and a 4.3 kill-per-game average. Against Gordon, Colby had a phenomenal .720 hitting percentage, converting 18 of her 25 attempts. She is ranked second among NCAA Division III volleyball players in hitting percentage at .534 (72 kills, 10 errors, 116 attempts).

Kudrjavtsev, a sophomore who spent last year at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, captured the A-flight championship at the sixth annual Middlebury Tennis Invitational Sept. 19-20. Kudrjavtsev cruised to the title, losing just eight games in the process. He defeated Rick Morgan of the host Panthers, 6-2, 6-1 in the finals.

"Dmitri is always ready for every point and every shot," said head men's tennis coach Paul Gastonguay, class of 1989. "He shows a great degree of poise and court sense. At Middlebury, Dmitri demonstrated that he can play any style of player and come out on top. Losing only eight games in a tournament of this caliber is an impressive feat."

Also reaching the finals at the Middlebury Invitational was Bates' top doubles team of Greg Norton of Mansfield, Mass., and Milko Todorov of Sofia, Bulgaria. Norton and Todorov, the top seeds in the No. 1 doubles flight, defeated teams from Coast Guard (8-1) and Connecticut College (9-8) before falling in the finals to the top team from host Middlebury. The duo won the 1998 State of Maine doubles title.

Colby is a 1996 graduate of Windham High School. She is the daughter of Gilbert and Sonia Colby, Williamantic, Conn.

Kudrjavtsev is a 1996 graduate of Tonismae Real School in Tallinn. He is the son of Vladimir and Zevgenia Kudrajavtsev, Tallinn, Estonia.

Norton is a 1997 graduate of Mansfield High School. He is the son of Charles and Carolyn Norton, Mansfield, Mass.

Todorov is a 1997 graduate of American College of Sofia. He is the son of Georgi and Stanka Todorov, Sofia, Bulgaria. - 30-