ROME, Ga. – Old Dominion senior Sofia Johnson has been named the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year to highlight the annual SBC Women’s Tennis Awards and All-Conference Teams announced Wednesday. The honors were voted upon by the league’s 14 women’s tennis head coaches.
The 2025 Sun Belt Conference Women's Tennis Championship will take place this Thursday through Sunday at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga.
2025 Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Awards:
Women’s Tennis Player of the Year: Sofia Johnson, Old Dominion
Women’s Tennis Player to Watch: Kira Matushkina, Old Dominion
Women’s Tennis Newcomer of the Year: Ireland Simme, Texas State
Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Year: Loles Carbo Chova, Arkansas State
Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year: Dominic Manilla, Old Dominion
Currently ranked No. 19 in the country, Johnson is 25-6 and 14-2 in dual matches. She went 8-0 in league play and has won 10 of her last 11 decisions. Played just one three-set match this spring and she won it against Penn State’s Olivia Dorner, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Johnson repeats as last year’s Player of the Year.
Old Dominion’s Kira Matushkina was named the Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Player to Watch. Matushkina enters the championship 20-7 overall on the year and 13-5 in doubles matches. She went 6-1 in Sun Belt singles action, including 5-1 at No. 2 singles. She went 7-0 in Sun Belt doubles action as the Monarchs captured their third regular season crown in the league.
Texas State’s Ireland Simme was named the Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Newcomer of the Year. Simme played a key role in Texas State’s historic season on the court (most wins in a single season in program history (16), most SBC wins in a season (7), most home wins in a season since 2012 (9) and the highest seed in SBC Championship Tournament (3). In singles play, Simme was perfect and recorded an overall record of 14-0 on courts 5 and six and recorded an SBC record of 5-0 playing on courts 5/6. Simme recorded 7 straight-set victories and was ahead or tied in all of her matches but two that went unfinished this season. She became the first TXST athlete since the 20/21 season to record 14 wins in a single season. In doubles play she also racked up double digit wins, ending the year with a 13-6 overall record and a 6-2 record in doubles play (courts 1 and 2). In SBC for doubles, her and her partner went 5-1 and won their first 5 SBC matches to begin the season.
Loles Carbo Chova from Arkansas State was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Chova won 23 matches, which marks the most single-season wins in program history. She was undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play, winning all her matches in straight sets. Chova enters the Sun Belt Championships with a 10-match winning streak. She started the season at No. 6, where she went 13-1, before moving up to No. 5 where she is undefeated at 2-0. When she won her singles match, A-State tallied 10 wins, two of which she clinched.
Old Dominion’s Dominic Manilla was again selected by his peers as the Coach of the Year. He led ODU to a 16-4 showing in the regular season and went 11-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Monarchs are currently ranked No. 43 in the country, while No. 1 singles player Sofia Johnson is ranked No. 19 in the country. Since ODU joined the Sun Belt, the Monarchs are a combined 40-0 in regular season and postseason league play and have captured the last three regular season titles with a pair of tournament crowns.
Singles First Team All-Conference
Savannah Dada-Mascoll, App State
Johanna Strom, Marshall
Sofia Johnson, Old Dominion
Kira Matushkina, Old Dominion
Lidiia Rasskouskaia, Old Dominion
Kiana Graham, Texas State
Singles Second Team All-Conference
Naledi Manyube, App State
Loles Carbo Chova, Arkansas State
Anna Babayan, Coastal Carolina
Maria Paredes, Georgia State
Valeriia Avdeeva, Troy
Maria Guirguis, Troy
Doubles First Team All-Conference
Sophia Hurrion/Aisling McGrane, Marshall
Sofia Johnson/Victoria Matasova, Old Dominion
Kira Matushkina/Marina Markina, Old Dominion
Doubles Second Team All-Conference
Savannah Dada-Mascoll/Taya Powell, App State
Delien Kleinhans/Rio Maeda, South Alabama
Sofia Fortuno/Ireland Simme, Texas State