NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Each year, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association awards regional honors for a variety of different achievements. The ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship is awarded annually to a student-athlete who exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship, leadership, academic success, as well as extracurricular and tennis achievements. This season, Anna Ross of Vanderbilt women’s tennis was recognized as the honoree from the Ohio Valley Region.
Ross, a junior from Charleston, South Carolina, stepped up this season as the Commodores looked to fill a gap on the top courts left by last year’s graduating class. In her first two years in Music City, Ross was a mainstay on the middle courts, helping her team to an NCAA tournament appearance in 2021. Now a veteran on a team of many underclassmen, Ross was tasked with guiding her fellow teammates in 2021-22.
Taking over on the top court, Ross led her team to an 18-10 finish and berth in the NCAA Championships Super Regional. Individually, she qualified for the NCAA Singles Championships, peaking at No. 37 nationally as well as earning an at-large bid for the doubles tournament with Holly Staff. At the NCAA Doubles Championships in Champaign, Illinois, last month, Ross and Staff earned All-American honors, advancing to the quarterfinals and rounding out the season at No. 16 nationally.