INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced Thursday that Rockhurst University junior Ella Coleman has been named the GLVC Player of the Year and Southwest Baptist Sammy Liu, GLVC Freshman of the Year in the sport of women’s tennis. The Coach of the Year will be awarded to the coach of the GLVC Tournament’s winning team.
In all, a total of 16 student-athletes – eight from the East and eight from the West Divisions – were recognized as All-Conference honorees, while 11 were named GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees and Quincy and Truman State were honored with the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award. Major award winners and All-GLVC teams are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Player of the Year: Ella Coleman, Junior, Rockhurst
- Three-peats as Player of the Year after winning the honor in 2024 and 2025
- Becomes the sixth player to win the award three or more times and the first since Hanna Volikova from 2017-19.
- Went 13-1 overall and 4-0 in GLVC action at No. 1 singles.
- Partnered with Camila Neyra and Marina Magai at majority No. 1 and 2 doubles, going 13-13 overall and 4-0 against GLVC foes.
- Holds highest ranking in GLVC for ITA Division II singles at No. 38.
- Helped Hawks go 14-3 overall and 5-0 in GLVC action to claim the top seed in the West Division for GLVC Tournament.
- Named GLVC Player of the Week on February 18, April 1, April 22, and April 29.
- Earns spot on All-GLVC First Team for the third year in a row
Freshman of the Year: Sammi Liu, Southwest Baptist
- Earns Southwest Baptist’s first Freshman of the Year award
- First Bearcat to win a major award
- Went 6-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play as the No. 1 singles
- Partnered with Maria Zotti, and Isabella Canedo for majority of the year as No. 2 doubles to go 6-8 and 3-2 in conference action
- Earns spot on All-GLVC First Team
Coach of the Year: Winner of the Tournament
- The Coach of the Year award will be presented to the coach of the team that wins the GLVC Tournament.
Missouri-St. Louis headlines the 16-member All-GLVC squad with four nods, whilst Rockhurst, and Southwest Baptist follow with three. Drury and Indianapolis each had two, with Illinois Springfield and McKendree earning the final selections.
The selections include eight players each from the East Division and eight players from the West Division. Missouri-St. Louis led the way with four (Morgan Lint, Sasha Lopez, Hannah Tse, and Millie Wileman). Joining Coleman was teammates Maria Baez, and Camila Neyra, and joining Lui’s was teammates Maria Clara Zotti, and Defne Ursan. Drury (Leanna Chanove, Naz Yaver), and Indianapolis (Jimena De Pablos, Maelys Thiery James) both garnered two honorees, while Illinois Springfield (Cristina Mendoza Romero), and McKendree (Lena Greefs) each earned one.
The league also recognized Quincy and Truman State as its GLVC Women’s Tennis James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award team recipient, as well as 11 student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced in May.
A complete list of the 2026 All-GLVC teams and postseason honorees can be found below.
GLVC WOMEN’S TENNIS ALL-CONFERENCE & MAJOR AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ella Coleman, Jr., Rockhurst
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Sammi Liu, Fr., Southwest Baptist
COACH OF THE YEAR: Winner of Tournament
ALL-GLVC FIRST TEAM
Leana Chanove, Sr., DU
Naz Yaver, Fr., DU
Cristina Mendoza Romro, Gr., UIS
Jimena De Pablos, Jr., UINDY
Maelys Thiery James, Fr., UINDY
Lena Greefs, Sr., MCK
Sasha Lopez, Jr., UMSL
Hannah Tse, Sr., UMSL
Millie Wileman, Jr., UMSL
Morgan Lint, So., UMSL
Maria Baez, Sr., RU
Ella Coleman, Jr., RU
Sammi Liu, Fr., SBU
Camila Neyra, Gr., RU
Maria Clara Zotti, So., SBU
Defne Ursan, So., SBU
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Ina Bechle, DU
Niamh Grogan, UIS
Jimena De Pablos, UINDY
Maria Mateos, MU
Lena Greefs, MCK
Anna Favaron, UMSL
Mahi Panchal, QU
Ella Coleman, RU
Maria Clara Zotti, SBU
Mary Grace Seymour, TSU
Wengel Getachew, WJC
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Quincy & Truman State