Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's tennis junior Jade Groen headlined four Catamounts honored by the Southern Conference on Wednesday as she was named the 2025 Southern Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year. Groen landed on the first-team All-SoCon team in both singles and doubles play where she was joined by partner Chloe Schwarz, with Isabella Sambola collecting first-team all-conference plaudits in singles play, and Hokualohi Lui garnering SoCon All-Freshman team honors.
The three Catamounts named first-team all-conference singles and doubles are the most in a single season in program history, while the four individual Catamounts garnering league honors are tied for the most all-time, matching the 2023 team.
The first Catamount to ever collect the SoCon's top individual honor, Groen posted an incredible 16-2 singles mark and was unbeaten in seven league matches in earning the first, first-team All-SoCon nod of her career. Among her 16-2 record in solo play, Groen compiled a 15-2 mark on the top court for the Catamounts. Her 16 regular-season wins were her single-season best.
During the 2025 season, Groen set WCU's career singles record by securing her 39th win over the Fairfield Stags back in mid-March with one of her 14 straight-set victories this season. Groen was unblemished in SoCon play, finishing 7-0 against conference competition with six of those wins coming in straight sets. The Zoetermeer, Netherlands product stood out among the other first-team All-Southern Conference selections, posting a 6-1, 6-2 win against ETSU's Daniela Rivera, a 6-2, 6-1 win over Marina Quinones of Mercer, a 7-6 (9-7), 6-0 win against Wofford's Breda Brenan, and a thrilling 2-6,6-2, 6-4 win in the singles match versus Furman's Sara Snyder to open conference play.
Additionally, Groen and doubles partner Chloe Schwarz powered to one of the more impressive duo records in the SoCon, combining for a 9-4 record overall including a 5-1 mark in SoCon in doubles play on the top court. The two earned a ranked doubles win as they took down Furman's #58th ranked pairing of Sara Snyder and Ellie Schulson and posted a 7-1 record down the stretch in the regular season.
Isabella Sambola's first-team All-SoCon selection comes after a career season for the junior, who posted 10 wins while primarily competing on court No. 2. Sambola, a former SoCon Freshman of the Year, was the only second-seed to earn a first-team selection as the New Orleans, La., product battled for a 5-2 mark in conference play. Before a three-set loss in the regular-season finale at Wofford, Sambola had strung together seven consecutive singles wins, six of which came in straight sets. She also made a handful of appearances on the top court for the Catamounts, going 2-1 as the top seed this season with her sole loss coming in the opener against #12 Auburn.
Hokualohi Lui became the first Catamount to earn all-freshman team honors since Sambola, Groen, and Leilany Ipunesso did so in 2023. Lui posted a 10-9 mark her first season in Cullowhee, becoming the first freshman Catamount to record double-digit wins since Groen that same season. The Lynwood, Wash., product posted a strong 4-3 record in SoCon play and was one of only two Catamounts to win their singles match against Furman earlier this season.
The quartet of Catamount postseason award winners are back in action at the 2025 Southern Conference Women's Tennis Championships as the fourth-seeded Catamounts battle the #5 Mercer Bears at 1 p.m. on April 17, on the courts at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Full Southern Conference Women's Tennis Postseason Honors List:
Player of the Year - Jade Groen, Western Carolina
Coach of the Year - Krissy Hall, Wofford
Sportsmanship Award - Alice Hall, Chattanooga
Freshman of the Year - Ksenija Rage, ETSU
First Team Singles
Daniella Rivera, ETSU
Sara Snyder, Furman
Maria Quinones, Mercer
Jade Groen, Western Carolina
Isabella Sambola, Western Carolina
Breda Brennan, Wofford
First Team Doubles
Rivera/Caceres, ETSU
Erenda/Surcery, Samford
Groen/Schwarz, Western Carolina
Second Team Singles
No.1 - Rozalie Dohnalova, Chattanooga
No. 2 - Allessandra Caceres, ETSU
No. 3 - Lily Woods, Wofford
No. 4 - Ellie Schulson, Furman
No. 5 - Macy Hitchcock, Furman
No. 6 - Chloe Elliot, Wofford
Second Team Doubles
No. 1 - Breda Brennan/Lily Woods, Wofford
No. 2 - Jess Dawson/Macy Hitchcock, Furman
No. 3 - Alexa Griffith/Grace Thomas, Furman
All-Freshman
Savanah Presson, Chattanooga
Ksenija Rage, ETSU
Eleni Liakonis, Samford
Zara Burns, Chattanooga
Hokualohi Lui, Western Carolina
Elizabeth Birkevold, UNCG
