Perez-Somarriba, Pfennig Named ITA All-Americans
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Two members of the University of Miami women’s tennis team, Estela Perez-Somarriba and Isabella Pfennig, earned 2021 ITA All-America status, as announced Monday afternoon.
Both players were among the 30 who earned the distinction in singles. Miami, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Virginia were the only schools with two players in that group.
For Perez-Somarriba, the recognition was the fifth of her career. She becomes the fourth five-time ITA All-American in program history, joining eight-time honoree Ronni Reis (1984-88), seven-time honoree Lise Gregory (1983-87) and five-time honoree Laura Vallverdu (2006-10).
The top-ranked player in the nation to end the season and the soon-to-be ITA National Player of the Year, Perez-Somarriba went 24-3 during the 2021 campaign. The fifth-year senior logged 11 victories over fellow ITA All-Americans, including seven against individuals who placed top-13 in the final rankings.
Four of those top-13 triumphs came during the Madrid native’s run to a second consecutive NCAA Singles Championship title match appearance.
Meanwhile, Pfennig is one of just six true freshmen on the ITA All-America list in singles, alongside Syracuse’s Viktoriya Kanapatskaya, Virginia’s Emma Navarro, Iowa’s Alexa Noel, Texas’ Peyton Stearns and Oregon’s Janice Tjen.
In addition, Pfennig, who tallied an 18-6 mark in 2021, is the ninth true freshman in program history to earn ITA All-America status, including the eighth to do so in singles. She is the fourth of that group to receive the honor during 20th-year head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews’ tenure, joining Perez-Somarriba (2016-17), Sinead Lohan (2014-15) and Vallverdu (2006-07).
A native of Gauting, Germany, Pfennig finished No. 26 in the ITA rankings and clinched her All-America plaudits by earning a seeded spot in the NCAA Singles Championship.
Twenty-nine Hurricanes have now combined 69 total ITA All-America honors, dating back to 1982, including 16 individuals totaling 37 distinctions in singles. During Yaroshuk-Tews’ two-decade career as head coach, 16 Hurricanes have combined for 30 ITA All-America honors.
The complete list of 2021 ITA All-Americans can be found HERE.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
