FOREST, Va. – The Sweet Briar College tennis team essentially swept this year's All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Women's Tennis First Team awards, landing a player at every flight except for one. Additionally, senior
Ruth de Souza (Marilia, Brazil) was named this year's ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete; becoming the second Vixen in program history to earn the honor.
The Brazil native racked up a 3.975 grade point average as an engineering science major while also being a three-time member of the ODAC All-Academic Team, an ITA Scholar Athlete, a VaSID All-State Academic Team member and CSC Academic All-District honoree.
de Souza has performed extremely when on the court as well earning All-ODAC honors in 2022 and 2021, an appearance at the 2021 NCAA Division III Doubles Tournament and a national ranking as high as No. 32 in singles during the course of her career. She also became the second player in program history to surpass 100 career wins and holds the program record for most career wins, most career doubles wins and most doubles wins in a single season.
de Souza was named All-ODAC First Team at No. 1 singles after earning second team honors last season. She played all 21 matches during the regular dual season at the No. 1 flight and amassed a 11-10 record while going 6-1 against conference opponents. Additionally, de Souza earned impressive victories over top players from Division I Hampton (6-3, 4-6, 10-3) and Division II Chowan (6-3, 6-0) during the fall tournament season.
At No. 2 singles, senior
Nikhita Simhambhatla (Hyderabad, Telangana, India) was named to the All-ODAC First Team. Simhambhatla receives her first-ever all conference honors after going 13-6 during the regular season with a 5-1 record against ODAC opponents and a 3-1 record at No. 2 singles.
Fellow senior
Allison Wandling (Mechanicsville, Va.) earned her third-straight All-ODAC First Team nod, this time at the No. 3 singles spot. Wandling recorded an overall record of 13-8, 10-6 at No. 3 singles, this past season and went 6-1 against conference opponents. One of the Virginia native's most impressive wins this past season at the No. 3 flight include a 7-6(7-5), 6-1 victory over Alexa Vasile of then-No. 39 TCNJ on Feb. 17.
All-ODAC First Team laurels at the No. 4 singles slot went to senior
Sofia Andrade (Latacunga, Ecuador). Andrade amassed 15 wins during the dual season, seven of those at the No. 4 flight, while also going 7-1 against ODAC opponents. This marks the first-ever conference honor for the Ecuador native.
Junior
Isabela Guilarte (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) earned a spot on the All-ODAC First Team at No. 6 singles after being named to the Second Team last year. Guilarte went 14-4 and held an undefeated 6-0 record against conference opponents during the course of the dual season. Additionally the junior took down Jenny Landells of then-No. 39 TCNJ, 6-4, 6-4 on Feb. 17 as well as Sofia Zafiropulos of then-No. 29 Denison by scores of 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 on March 25.
The doubles pairing of de Souza/Wandling earned their third-straight All-ODAC First Team No. 1 doubles nod. The duo who ranked as high as No. 8 in the Atlantic South region this past season went 6-1 in ODAC competition.
At No. 2 doubles was the team of Andrade/Patino, who earned their first All-ODAC First Team doubles honors. The two were perfect in conference play with a 7-0 record while also going 12-5 during the regular dual match season.
Wrapping up First Team honors for the Vixens was the pairing of sophomore
Maria Caro (Bogota, Colombia)/Simhambhatla. Holding down the fort at No. 3 doubles, they 7-4 during the spring while also going a perfect 5-0 in conference play.
This marks the first time that Sweet Briar has swept the All-ODAC First Team doubles awards, as well as the highest number of student-athletes ever named All-ODAC First Team singles.
To read the ODAC's release, click
HERE.
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