Chervinsky Earns ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s tennis senior Elaine Chervinsky was named the recipient of the ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Friday (June 13).
The Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award recognizes a Division I women’s student-athlete who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team’s performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. The award dates back to 1997 and is in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women’s tennis coach Cissie Leary.
Chervinsky joins Julia Elbaba (2016) as the only players in program history to take home the honor.
Chervinsky finished her Cavalier career with an 82-40 singles record and a 92-33 doubles record. Her 92 career doubles wins ranks tied for 10th in program history. She earned ITA All-America honors in doubles twice, having reached a top-three ranking in doubles with two different partners. She also picked up wins in both singles and doubles against the ITA ranked No. 1 players during her four years as a Cavalier.
This past year, Chervinsky was named an ITA Singles and Doubles All-American. She won the 2024-25 NCAA Doubles Championship in the fall with partner Melodie Collard, becoming the first Cavaliers to win the NCAA Doubles title. The pair also became the first Cavaliers to hold the number one doubles ranking, a ranking they held from early February until May. As a doubles team, the pair finished the year with a 31-3 overall record and a 14-2 mark in dual matches. They were named to the All-ACC first team in doubles.
In singles, Chervinsky had a career year, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship. In the round of 16, she defeated the top seed and top-ranked Mary Stoiana of Texas A&M 6-3, 6-0. On the season, Chervinsky led the Cavaliers, finishing with a 28-8 singles record and a 12-2 mark in dual matches. After starting the fall ranked No. 74, she finished the year ranked No. 30. She spent the majority of the spring ranked inside the top 20, reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 18 in February. She defeated nine ranked opponents on her way to earning All-ACC second team honors in singles.
Additionally, Chervinsky was named to the CSC Academic All-America first team. She took home the ITA Atlantic Region Senior Player of the Year as well as the ITA Atlantic Region Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award.
Chervinsky was also named to the All-ACC first team for doubles in 2024 and the third team in 2023. In her first year as a Cavalier, she was named ITA Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year and earned All-ACC third team honors in singles in 2022.
Despite battling through injuries every season of her career, she was always on the sidelines to cheer her heart out for her teammates regardless of whether she played, never missing an opportunity to participate in team activities. Before she arrived at UVA, Chervinsky won the prestigious Billie Jean King Sportsmanship Award as a junior player at the National Hardcourt Championships in 2018.
“For as long as I can remember, integrity, competitiveness, and sportsmanship have been the most important values to me as a competitor,” Chervinsky said. “Sportsmanship is not about you as a person but how you represent your group and what kind of legacy you leave behind. Though people may remember me for my injuries or even the banners hung up at the Boars Head Sports Club, I deeply hope that what I leave behind is something more than that. Something that will last generations. Because truthfully, you can have banners on the wall, but it’s about what kind of impact you leave in people’s hearts. I am deeply honored to be recognized for a value that I hold dear to my heart.”