Women's Tennis

2024 ASC Women's Tennis Awards Announced

RICHARDSON, Texas – East Texas Baptist Bailey Smith and Concordia Texas Kayla Pena were named East and West Division Most Valuable Player to headline the 2024 American Southwest Conference Women’s awards, as voted by head coaches within each division.
 
Smith posted a 15-3 record in singles this season which included an 11-3 record in flight three singles. She was unbeaten in three matches at flight two singles. Smith went 3-1 in the East Division in singles. In doubles, most of her matches were with partner Jayd Childress and the tandem scored a 14-2 record that included being perfect in ASC East Division play.
 
Pena led the Tornados with a 10-4 record that came on the No. 1 line for singles. She earned a trio of ASC West Division wins. Pena partnered with Isabella Cepeda on doubles and the duo posted an 8-6 overall record with an unbeaten ASC West Division mark.
 
Other honors in the East Division saw UT Dallas Riya Matharoo tabbed Freshman of the Year. She earned a 10-4 record, was perfect 4-0 in the division, and had winning records in flight 1 (3-1) and flight 2 (7-3) singles. Her teammate Jhastine Ballado was selected Newcomer of the Year. She notched a 9-3 record in doubles, which included 7-1 in flight 3. She had a 2-0 record in ASC East singles.
 
LeTourneau Clara Brisman Taylor was named Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year. UT Dallas head coach Bryan Whitt collected his seventh ASC Coach of the Year and fifth ASC East Division Coach of the Year honor. He guided the Comets to a 10-5 record that included a perfect run through the East Division and a fifth consecutive ASC Women’s Tennis Championship.
 
In the West Division, Mary Hardin-Baylor Zoe Male earned Freshman of the Year. She led the team in wins (15) with a phenomenal 15-2 mark in flight 2. Male was unbeaten in ASC West Division play. Hardin-Simmons Christa Bennett was named Newcomer of the Year. Bennett led with doubles partner Halle Smith with an 8-8 record and was 2-1 in ASC West play. She contributed in flights 4, 5, and 6 in singles this season.
 
A quintet of players were named Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year. This included: Mary Hardin-Baylor Lori Bryan, McMurry Bridgette Fly, Concordia Texas Kayla Pena, Sul Ross State Reagan Ramsey, and Hardin-Simmons Jonnah Smith. Mary Hardin-Baylor head coach Daniel White was voted West Division Coach of the Year after a remarkable campaign that had his squad 14-3 and clinch its first ASC West Division Regular Season Championship since 2013.
 
Players selected to each singles and doubles First Team All-Division will automatically qualify to create the 2024 ASC Women’s Tennis All-Conference Team. There were five players with multiple all-conference selections. UTD’s Saumya Vedula and Rebecca Jackson are four-year all-conference and all-division winners.
 
2024 ASC WOMEN’S TENNIS AWARDS
 
All-Conference Team
 
Singles
Flight 1 Monique Ybarra Fr. East Texas Baptist Palestine, Texas
Kayla Pena 3 Jr. Concordia Texas Rio Grande City, Texas
Flight 2 Riya Matharoo Fr. UT Dallas Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Zoe Male Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor League City, Texas
Flight 3 Reika Nagai Fr. UT Dallas Frisco, Texas
Lori Bryan So. Mary Hardin-Baylor Allen, Texas
Flight 4 Saumya Vedula 4 Sr. UT Dallas McKinney, Texas
Jolin Ha Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Sugar Land, Texas
Flight 5 Megan Zeng 3 Jr. UT Dallas Austin, Texas
Emily Pullen Fr. Concordia Texas Rio Grande City, Texas
Flight 6 Elyssa Ducret 3 Jr. UT Dallas Plano, Texas
Emily Higgs So. Mary Hardin-Baylor San Antonio, Texas
 
Doubles
Flight 1 Megan LeBlanc Jr. LeTourneau Willis, Texas
Grace Rogers Fr. LeTourneau Camarillo, Calf.
Kayla Pena 3 Jr. Concordia Texas Rio Grande City, Texas
Isabella Cepeda 2 So. Concordia Texas Georgetown, Texas
Flight 2 Megan Zeng 3 Jr. UT Dallas Austin, Texas
Elyssa Ducret 3 Jr. UT Dallas Plano, Texas
Erin Kittridge So. Mary Hardin-Baylor McKinney, Texas
Bailee Lane Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Lindale, Texas
Flight 3 Jhastine Ballado Jr. UT Dallas Munoz, Philippines
Elsha Valluru Fr. UT Dallas Highland Village, Texas
Emily Higgs So. Mary Hardin-Baylor San Antonio, Texas
Zoe Male Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor League City, Texas
 
4 – Four-time All-Conference selection
3 – Three-time All-Conference selection
2 – Two-time All-Conference selection
 
EAST DIVISION AWARDS, ALL-DIVISION TEAMS
Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player Bailey Smith, East Texas Baptist
Freshman of the Year Riya Matharoo, UT Dallas
Newcomer of the Year Jhastine Ballado, UT Dallas
Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year Clara Brisman Taylor, LeTourneau
 Coach of the Year  Bryan Whitt, UT Dallas 7
7 – Seven-time Coach of the Year

First Team
Singles
Flight 1 Monique Ybarra Fr. East Texas Baptist Palestine, Texas
Flight 2 Riya Matharoo Fr. UT Dallas Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Flight 3 Reika Nagi Fr. UT Dallas Frisco, Texas
Flight 4 Saumya Vedula 4 Sr. UT Dallas McKinney, Texas
Flight 5 Megan Zeng 3 Jr. UT Dallas Austin, Texas
Flight 6 Elyssa Ducret 3 Jr. UT Dallas Plano, Texas
 
Doubles
Flight 1 Megan LeBlanc Jr. LeTourneau Willis, Texas
Grace Rogers Fr. LeTourneau Camarillo, Calf.
Flight 2 Megan Zeng 3 Jr. UT Dallas Austin, Texas
Elyssa Ducret 3 Jr. UT Dallas Plano, Texas
Flight 3 Jhastine Ballado Jr. UT Dallas Munoz, Philippines
Elsha Valluru Fr. UT Dallas Highland Village, Texas
 
Second Team
Singles
Flight 1 Rebecca Jackson 4 Sr. UT Dallas Austin, Texas
Flight 2 Addy Seward 2 So. East Texas Baptist Richland, Miss.
Grace Rogers Fr. LeTourneau Camarillo, Calif.
Flight 3 Bailey Smith 2 So. East Texas Baptist Cypress, Texas
Flight 4 Isabelle Duarte Jr. East Texas Baptist Tyler, Texas
Flight 5 Jayde Childress 3 Jr. East Texas Baptist Amarillo, Texas
Flight 6 Kristyn Dunn Fr. East Texas Baptist Wills Point, Texas
 
 
Doubles
Flight 1 Monique Ybarra Fr. East Texas Baptist Palestine, Texas
Addy Seward So. East Texas Baptist Richland, Miss.
Flight 2 Jayde Childress 3 Jr. East Texas Baptist Amarillo, Texas
Bailey Smith So. East Texas Baptist Cypress, Texas
Flight 3 Isabella Duarte 2 Jr. East Texas Baptist Tyler, Texas
Shyan Darr 2 So. East Texas Baptist Big Lake, Texas

4 – Four-time All-East Division selection
3 – Three-time All-East Division selection
2 – Two-time All-East Division selection
 
WEST DIVISION AWARDS, ALL-DIVISION TEAMS
 
Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player Kayla Pena, Concordia Texas
Freshman of the Year Zoe Male, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Newcomer of the Year Christa Bennett, Hardin-Simmons
Co-Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year Lori Bryan, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Bridgette Fly, McMurry
Kayla Pena, Concordia Texas
Reagan Ramsey, Sul Ross State
Jonnah Smith, Hardin-Simmons
Coach of the Year Daniel White, Mary Hardin-Baylor

First Team
Singles
Flight 1 Kayla Pena 3 Jr. Concordia Texas Rio Grande City, Texas
Flight 2 Zoe Male Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor League City, Texas
Flight 3 Lori Bryan 2 So. Mary Hardin-Baylor Allen, Texas
Flight 4 Jolin Ha Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Sugar Land, Texas
Flight 5 Emily Pullen Fr. Concordia Texas Rio Grande City, Texas
Flight 6 Emily Higgs So. Mary Hardin-Baylor San Antonio, Texas
 
Doubles
Flight 1 Kayla Pena 3 Jr. Concordia Texas Rio Grande City, Texas
Isabella Cepeda 2 So. Concordia Texas Georgetown, Texas
Flight 2 Erin Kittridge So. Mary Hardin-Baylor McKinney, Texas
Bailee Lane Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Lindale, Texas
Flight 3 Emily Higgs So. Mary Hardin-Baylor San Antonio, Texas
Zoe Male Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor League City, Texas

Second Team
Singles
Flight 1 Laurel Coleman 3 Jr. Hardin-Simmons The Woodlands, Texas
Flight 2 Isabella Cepeda So. Concordia Texas Georgetown, Texas
Flight 3 Trinity Klamecki Sr. Concordia Texas Little Elm, Texas
Flight 4 Natalia Goodman 2 Gr. Concordia Texas Killeen, Texas
Flight 5 Bailee Lane Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Lindale, Texas
Flight 6 Halle Smith So. Hardin-Simmons Abilene, Texas
Doubles
Flight 1 Jolin Ha Fr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Sugar Land, Texas
Jalon Burns Jr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Pearland, Texas
Flight 2 Kaitlin Stevens 3 Gr. Concordia Texas Conroe, Texas
Emily Pullen Fr. Concordia Texas Tucson, Arizona
Flight 3 Halle Smith So. Hardin-Simmons Abilene, Texas
Christa Bennett So. Hardin-Simmons Houston, Texas

3 – Three-time All-West Division selection
2 – Two-time All-West Division selection