KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Esther Adeshina and Rebeka Mertena of the Tennessee women’s tennis team were named to the 2023 Academic All-District Women’s Tennis Teams by College Sports Communicators on Tuesday afternoon.
The pair become the fourth and fifth Lady Volunteers to earn CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors, respectively, and it is the first time in program history UT has had multiple honorees in the same season. Tennessee also posted back-to-back years with an All-District selection for the first time since 2005-07 when LVFL Blakeley Griffith represented the Big Orange on the teams all three of those seasons.
Adeshina earns All-District acclaim after holding a 3.72 GPA through her junior year and majoring in Business Management in the prestigious Haslam College of Business. Adeshina has been excellent on-court for the Lady Vols this season, leading the team in SEC singles wins with nine and surpassing 20 single-season victories in singles for the first time in her career.
Mertena has also been fantastic both on the court and in the classroom in her final year of collegiate eligibility. She owns a 3.55 GPA in Hospitality and Tourism while earning First Team All-SEC honors for the second consecutive season. Mertena currently ranks tied for sixth in career singles victories with 104, matching Peta Kelly’s total from 1978-82.
Both individuals have played together all dual season in doubles, accumulating a 14-7 record and beating three nationally ranked opponents. The duo has played 19 matches at the No. 1 position, winning 13 of those bouts.
Adeshina, Mertena and the rest of the Lady Volunteers travel to College Station, Texas later this week to take on Texas A&M on Friday, May 12, at 3 p.m. ET.
All-Time CSC (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Honorees
Crystal Cleveland – 2003
Blakeley Griffith – 2005, 2006, 2007
Tenika McGiffin – 2022
Esther Adeshina – 2023
Rebeka Mertena – 2023
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