SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Highlighted by the 2023 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year
Isabella Sambola, the Western Carolina women's tennis team had four student-athletes earn All-Southern Conference honors as the league announced its postseason awards on Wednesday afternoon.
In addition to being selected as the league's Freshman of the Year, Sambola also earned a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman team where she was joined by first-year classmates
Jade Groen and
Leilany Ipunesso. Additionally, Groen and sophomore
Andrea Redondo took second-team All-Southern Conference laurels at No. 3 doubles.
The four Catamounts honored on Wednesday represent the most for the WCU women's tennis team in any one season with the trio of all-freshman team selections marking the most giving WCU 10 first-year selections all-time.
Sambola is the first player in school history to earn SoCon Freshman of the Year accolades. The New Orleans, La., native tied for third on the team with nine singles wins playing as the No. 1 seed. She won all three of her singles matches against Seton Hall, UNCW, and Loyola during WCU's spring break trip in Orlando, Fla. Sambola also won nine doubles matches playing between both at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles.
Groen tallied a 15-4 singles record playing at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 singles this season. She won five singles matches on the second and third courts including the match-clinching 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 contest at No. 2 singles against Samford which gave WCU its school record 14th seasonal win. The Zoetermeer, Netherlands, product went 15-4 in doubles matches, playing primarily with fellow all-conference performer, Redondo.
Ipunesso won seven singles matches during her first season including three on the third court. A product of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, Ipunesso won four of her last five singles matches this season including a hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles in the regular-season finale against Chattanooga. Of her seven singles wins, three came during conference matches.
The doubles pairing of Groen and Redondo, who hails from Denia, Spain, posted a 14-4 mark this season playing at No. 3 doubles to collect second-team All-SoCon plaudits. The duo went 4-2 playing together in league matches and won eight straight matches from Feb. 22-March 19.
WCU earned the seventh seed in the SoCon Tournament and faces second-seed ETSU in a quarterfinal match on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Champions Club Tennis Complex at Rivermont Park in Chattanooga, Tenn.
For the latest information on Catamount women's tennis, follow @catamounts or @catamountTennis on Twitter or go to
www.CatamountSports.com. In-match updates can be found on the Catamount women's tennis official tennis Twitter page.
Western Carolina on the SoCon All-Freshman Team:
2023:
Jade Groen,
Leilany Ipunesso,
Isabella Sambola
2022:
Miray Konar
2021:
Kata Foldeak
2019:
Jacy Smith
2018:
Jordyn King
2017: Jordan Strickland
2016: Savannah Taranto
2013: Stacia Kissell
Western Carolina on the All-Southern Conference Team:
2021:
Kata Foldeak, 1st team
2019: Jordan Strickland (No. 1), 2nd team;
Jacy Smith (No. 2), 2nd team
2016: Stacia Kissell, 1st team
2014: Stacia Kissell, 1st team
2008: Tessie Salame (No. 1), 2nd team
Western Carolina Doubles on the All-SoCon Team:
2023:
Jade Groen /
Andrea Redondo (No. 3), 2nd team
2021:
Julia Pezzuco /
Jacy Smith (No. 1), 2nd team
2017: Lauren McCall / Jordan Strickland (No. 2), 2nd team
WCU's SoCon Sportsmanship Award Winners:
2022:
Jordyn King
2019: Jordan Strickland
2017: Jordan Strickland
2007: Suzanna Sjokvist
2006: Trish Hanson
1999: Tara Livengood
