Perez-Somarriba Repeats as ACC Player of the Year
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For the second season in a row, Estela Perez-Somarriba of the University of Miami women’s tennis team is the ACC Player of the Year.
In addition, Daevenia Achong garnered Second Team All-ACC distinction. The awards were announced Thursday afternoon by the conference office.
Perez-Somarriba is the ninth multiple-time honoree in league history, including eighth to win the accolade in back-to-back years. The junior is the fourth player to receive the distinction multiple times since Miami joined the league in 2005, including the second Hurricane.
“Estela’s success this season has been hard earned,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “This young lady makes great decisions every day and those decisions are represented in her results.”
Miami now has six ACC Player of the Year recognitions in its 15 years in the conference: Perez-Somarriba (2019, 2018), Bianca Eichkorn (2011), Audra Cohen (2007, 2006) and Megan Bradley (2005).
Along with her overall honor, Perez-Somarriba was tabbed as First Team All-ACC selection for the third straight year. She is the seventh Hurricane with at least three All-ACC honors and the second to earn three First Team picks since the league went to three teams in 2014, joining Stephanie Wagner.
Perez-Somarriba is 35-5 in singles in 2018-19, good for the most wins of any ranked player in the country. She is 20-4 against ranked foes, including 13-2 versus top-50 players, 8-1 against top-25 opponents and an unblemished 4-0 in top-10 affairs.
The Madrid native has been ranked top-seven all year and currently sits second on the Oracle/ITA list. She is 22-1 in dual matches and finished 13-1 in ACC singles play, all at the top position.
Additionally, Perez-Somarriba sports a 23-9 overall mark in doubles action, including an 18-6 tally in dual matches and a 10-3 mark in ACC competition. She peaked at No. 35 in the national doubles rankings with Achong and also at No. 51 alongside senior Daniella Roldan.
Meanwhile, Achong became the sixth Miami freshman to receive All-ACC accolades, joining Perez-Somarriba (2017), Sinead Lohan (2015), Wagner (2013), current associate head coach Laura Vallverdu (2007) and Patricia Starzyk (2005).
“I believe that Daevenia’s award is impressive because she has earned the respect of the coaches in our conference in such a short time,” Yaroshuk-Tews said of the January enrollee. “Personally, I’m very excited for her future and proud of her success thus far.”
Achong is the 18th different Hurricane to pick up All-ACC distinction and Miami now has 36 total honors in its 15 years in the conference.
A four-time ACC Freshman of the Week and two-time ACC Player of the Week, Achong is 16-9 in singles play. She is 15-7 in dual matches, including 10-6 at the No. 2 spot and 5-1 at the No. 3 position, and went 9-5 in ACC play.
The Geleen, Netherlands, native earned a trio of ranked singles victories, including two against top-90 opponents.
In doubles, Achong sports a 16-7 overall mark that includes a 14-7 ledger in dual matches and a 9-4 tally in ACC competition. She has a 5-5 record against ranked pairs that features two top-25 wins and a top-10 triumph.
Achong, who is 10-7 at the top spot and 4-0 in the No. 2 position, is ranked No. 16 nationally with Roldan. As aforementioned, she was also ranked as high as No. 35 in the country with Perez-Somarriba.
This is the 13th time Miami has had multiple All-ACC honorees, including the sixth consecutive year at least two Hurricanes made the cut.
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