NEW ORLEANS – App State senior Savannah Dada-Mascoll has been named the 2026 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 13 women’s tennis head coaches.
Five different programs were recognized in the yearly awards with nine programs being recognized with All-Conference honors.
2026 Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Awards:
Women’s Tennis Player of the Year: Savannah Dada-Mascoll, App State
Women’s Tennis Newcomer of the Year: Diana Zuba, Coastal Carolina
Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Year: Polina Gumeniuk, Marshall
Women’s Tennis Player to Watch: Meghna Arun Kumar, Arkansas State
Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year: Dominic Manilla, Old Dominion
Women’s Tennis Elite Award Winner: Victoria Matasova, Old Dominion
Entering the spring season ranked No. 5 in the nation after beating nine ranked opponents and reaching All-American status, App State’s Savannah Dada-Mascoll was a five time Sun Belt Player of the Week this season and was named the Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Player of the Year. Competing in all matches at the No. 1 spot, she notched 23 consecutive wins in her final campaign, falling only in the first match of the year against Oby Kajuru of North Carolina. Dada-Mascoll dropped only six sets during the entire season and saw a stretch of 25 consecutive sets won between Feb. 18 and April 19. During that span, she defeated No. 102 Kira Matushkina of ODU in straight sets. In the regular season finale, she defeated Maria Parades of Georgia State, a two-time All-Sun Belt second team honoree. Carrying it over to the Sun Belt Championship, she defeated multiple All-Sun Belt singles honorees, ending the season with a victory over Johanna Strom of Marshall in the semifinal round. In doubles, she was part of two SBC doubles teams of the week, winning one with Taya Powell and Ruby Broadbent, all from No. 1.
Coastal Carolina’s Diana Zuba was named the Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Newcomer of the Year. The junior posted a 13-4 overall record primarily at the No. 1 and 2 singles spots holding a seven-match win streak from Feb. 7 - March 4. Zuba earned two Sun Belt Conference regular season wins including a straight sets victory over Polina Gumeniuk in Coastal’s 4-3 win over Marshall and against Lilly Cvanciger of Arkansas State. Zuba clinched the match in Coastal’s win over Wofford. She paired with Sarah Clark to post a dominant doubles campaign going 8-1 while earning Sun Belt Doubles Team of the Week honors on April 8. The pair clinched the doubles point for the Chants in three matches versus Charleston Southern, Presbyterian, and App State.
Marshall’s Polina Gumeniuk garnered Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Year honors. Gumeniuk with 14-2 at No. 2 singles for the year. At the Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Championship in Rome, Gumeniuk provided three straight set wins in helping the Herd return to the finals for the second consecutive season. Over the course of the season, Gumeniuk provided 11 consecutive wins on court two and won the first set tiebreak over Old Dominion’s Victoria Matasova in the championship match.
Arkansas State’s Meghna Arun Kumar was named the Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Player to Watch after tallying a 19-8 overall record with a 14-5 showing in duals. Arun Kumar had a six-match win streak, including four conference opponents and 17 of her wins were in straight sets. The Red Wolves finished the season 13-9 earning back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins for the first time since the 2008-09 seasons. Arun Kumar led Arkansas State as a four seed at the championship this year. It marked the highest seeding for the program since 1999, where the program was the No. 3 seed and won the third place match at the Sun Belt Championship.
Old Dominion’s Victoria Matasova was named the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Tennis Elite Award Winner. The SBC Elite Award recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the Sun Belt Conference Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The SBC Elite award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating on the final day for each of the Sun Belt Conference’s championships.
In his 15th season, Coach Dominic Manilla guided the Monarchs to their fourth consecutive Sun Belt Conference Championship title to earn Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year honors. Under his leadership, ODU secured a victory over No. 59 Wake Forest and No. 37 Kansas. Individually, he coached players earning wins against Autonomous 4 opponents including Ohio State, Maryland, Penn State, Wake Forest, Ole Miss, Kansas State, Kansas, and Duke. In conference postseason play, Manilla’s team delivered a dominant performance, allowing just five total sets and only one team point across the entire tournament. The Monarchs’ sustained excellence is further reflected in an extraordinary 55-match Sun Belt winning streak, where they have not last a match to a league opponent since joining four years ago.
Singles First Team All-Conference
Savannah Dada-Mascoll, App State
Evelyn Warkentin, Georgia Southern
Angelique Berrat, Louisiana
Johanna Strom, Marshall
Kira Matushkina, Old Dominion
Maria Guirguis, Troy
Singles Second Team All-Conference
Brunelle Kouam, Coastal Carolina
Diana Zuba, Coastal Carolina
Daria Munteanu, James Madison
Polina Gumeniuk, Marshall
Ulyana Romanova, Old Dominion
Ireland Simme, Texas State
Doubles First Team All-Conference
Brooklyn Hoffmann / Sophie Williams, James Madison
Kira Matushkina / Victoria Matasova, Old Dominion
Lidiia Rasskouskaia / Ulyana Romanova, Old Dominion
Doubles Second Team All-Conference
Savannah Dada-Mascoll / Ruby Broadbent, App State
Johanna Strom / Alina Mokrynska, Marshall
Maria Guirguis / Valeria Avdeeva, Troy