The VC women's tennis team earned All-Academic honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for the 2023 season. Their 3.56 overall grade point average qualified them to be one of 23 collegiate teams nationally, one of six California community college programs, to make the list. The Pirates also had seven players named Scholar Athletes by the national coaches' association.
Dee Emami, Talia Lieb, Marcie McTigue, Belladora Moga, Elizabeth Nguyen, Laura Rubio and Alexis Schmidt all posted 1 3.5 GPA or above to be named as ITA Scholar Athletes.
"Academia is an integral aspect of the college tennis experience and adds to the unique student-athlete experience found on college campuses across the nation," stated the ITA in a press release.
"Within the sport of tennis, student-athletes continue to exceed expectations in the classroom and on the court. In 2023, 71 JUCO Women's student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, and 13 women's tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction."
To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must meet the following requirements:
- have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year
- be listed on the institutional eligibility form
To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, programs must meet the following requirements:
- have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale),
- all student-athletes included should be listed on the institutional eligibility form, and
- all varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year
Ventura was 6-8 on the season and 6-6 in Western State Conference play. The Pirates qualified for the CCCAA SoCal Regional Playoffs for the first time since 2012 for head coach Nelson Emery.