Ojeda, Marin, Cabezas, Adeshina Earn ITA Ohio Valley Region Honors

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Head Coach Alison Ojeda, associate head coach Matias Marin, senior Sofia Cabezas and senior Esther Adeshina earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association Ohio Valley Region Honors, the ITA announced on Wednesday.

Ojeda was named the Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year, Marin was selected as the Ohio Valley Region Assistant Coach of the Year, Cabezas earned Ohio Valley Region Senior Player of the Year and Ohio Valley Region Most Improved Player, while Adeshina garnered the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship award, with the team earning honorable mention recognition to the ITA Community Service team.

Ojeda, the Ohio Valley Wilson ITA Coach of the Year, guided the Lady Volunteers to one of the most monumental seasons in program history. In her eighth year as head coach, Ojeda achieved 22 wins, the highest number of victories during her tenure. The Lady Vols have now produced back-to-back seasons of at least 21 victories for the first time since 2002-03. It's the winningest two-year stretch for the program since the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

Throughout the 2024 campaign, Ojeda's team has triumphed over 12 ranked opponents, including seven in the top-25. Notably, snapping No. 1 Oklahoma State's 29-match winning streak, securing a 4-2 victory to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 2010.

Ojeda has now claimed coach of the year honors for the second year in a row and for the fourth time in her coaching tenure (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024). This marks the eighth time in program history that the Coach of the Year award has belonged to the Lady Vols.

"This award is so deserved for Alison," sophomore Catherine Aulia said. "She believed in us when we didn't believe in ourselves. Her enthusiasm and passion for the sport is a big reason why we are all so motivated and love playing for her. "

Marin, the ITA Ohio Valley Assistant Coach of the Year, has made a remarkable impact in his inaugural year as an assistant coach for the Lady Volunteers. Since joining the program in June 2023, Marin has played a crucial role in the development of two All-Americans, marking the program's first since 2013.

Marin's influence extends beyond coaching, as he played a crucial role in recruiting the No. 13 ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to the 2024 Winter recruiting class rankings, powered by Tennis Recruiting Network. Marin has also been instrumental in establishing Esther Adeshina, the recipient of the 2024 ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award. Adeshina demonstrates a wide array of leadership traits, evident both on and off the tennis court. Originating from Bracknell, Great Britain, she has devoted four years to Rocky Top, achieving numerous accolades. Notably, she is the first individual from the SEC and the University of Tennessee to receive this prestigious award.

This is the fourth occasion a Tennessee assistant coach has garnered assistant coach of the year accolades.

"I've known for years that Matias would make an outstanding college tennis coach," Ojeda remarked. "He is just so easy to relate to and he is one of the most respectful people I have ever met. For him to win this honor in his very first year of college coaching is an outstanding achievement. He came into what was already a good program and instantly helped to make us even better. His attention to detail off the court allowed us to prepare in ways like never before and his ability to coach on the court in a match setting is some of the best I've ever seen. Congratulations Matias!"

Cabezas, the ITA Ohio Valley Senior Player of the Year and ITA Ohio Valley Most Improved Player capped off her senior campaign with a 22-11 record, including three phenomenal victories over top-10 opponents. She owns a career singles record of 72-43, and held a ranking in every ITA singles release during the 2024 spring season. The senior closed her career with the highest ranking of her career, garnering the No. 11 spot on May 29 in the year-end rankings.

Her phenomenal year earned her recognition as an ITA All-American in singles and doubles as well as earning 2024 First Team All-SEC recognition. In doubles, Cabezas and Elza Tomase dominated opponents, posting a 16-8 record. Together, they cruised past 11 ranked pairs, en route to finishing the season with their highest ranking of the year by placing seventh in the May 29 release.

Cabezas and Tomase were the first Tennessee tandem to reach the NCAA Doubles Championship semifinals since 2013, making them the first pair to do so in the Ojeda era. The last Tennessee duo to make it that far, 11 years ago, was No. 4 Brynn Boren and Kata Szekely. Over her career, Cabezas has also been honored with three conference honor roll mentions, received Division I ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athlete Honors in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and secured a 2023 CSC Academic All-District accolade.

Cabezas becomes the fifth player in program history to be selected as the Ohio Valley Senior Player of the Year and the fourth selection of the Most Improved Player of the Year.

Adeshina, the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, has accumulated 70 singles wins and 89 doubles victories during her four years on Rocky Top. The senior was named the winner of the Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award, named a three-time Division I ITA-All Academic Scholar-Athlete, a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient and a CSC Academic All-District honoree. Adeshina graduated in May with her bachelor's degree in business management.

Adeshina became the fourth recipient of this prestigious award, accompanying her head coach Ojeda, who was the recipient of the award in 2001.

The 2024 Tennessee women's tennis team was also tabbed as an honorable mention to the ITA Community Service Award for the fifth consecutive year.

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