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May 12, 2015

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia junior captain Stephanie Nauta (Galveston, Texas) has earned the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship for the Atlantic Region, the ITA announced Tuesday (May 12).

The Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship goes to a Division I women’s player who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team’s performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. It dates back to 1997 and is memory of the late and widely admired Penn women’s tennis coach Cissie Leary.

“Stephanie is very deserving and a great representative of what the Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship stands for,” Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau said. “She has always competed extremely hard, while also showing complete respect and sportsmanship for her opponents and opposing teams. A part of this sportsmanship award centers around leadership and sacrifice for one’s team as well. Stephanie has done this at the highest level and has truly devoted herself to her teammates and coaching staff.”

Nauta has guided the Cavaliers to back-to-back ACC championships and 23 wins this season. The three-time All-ACC selection has been ranked as high as No. 16 in singles and leads the team with 31 wins this season.

“Stephanie’s leadership and caring has made a great impact on this season and has led this team to another extremely successful season and an impressive amount of growth on and off the courts,” Guilbeau added. “We are very happy for Stephanie and proud of her for earning this honor.”

The Cavaliers are making their fifth consecutive round of 16 appearance this week at the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships in Waco, Texas. No. 9 seed Virginia (23-5) plays No. 8 seed Baylor (27-6) on Friday, May 15. First serve at the Hurd Tennis Center on the campus of Baylor University is set for 8 p.m. ET.

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