GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas announced their 2026 women’s tennis all-conference awards prior to the start of the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women’s Tennis Championship that starts on Wednesday.
The all-conference awards were voted on by the Conference Carolinas women’s tennis head coaches.
Khushi Kharb of Converse University was selected as the player of the year. She went 14-4 overall in singles play and posted an 11-1 mark in Conference Carolinas matches playing at the top flight. She also played the top flight in doubles, posting an 8-4 mark in league matches.
Young Harris College’s
Lexie Gillespie garnered freshman of the year honors, the second straight Mountain Lion to earn that distinction. She played primarily at No. 6 singles, posting an overall mark of 15-1 and 10-0 record in conference matches. In doubles play, Gillespie played at the second and third flights, owning a Conference Carolinas record of 3-2.
Marcy O’Connor of Young Harris was tabbed coach of the year for the first time. She guided the Mountain Lions to the Conference Carolinas Southwest Division title with a 6-0 division record and 12-0 record in conference play. Young Harris owns a 17-5 overall record heading into the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women’s Tennis Championship where they are the top seed.
2026 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Carolinas Selections
Player of the Year
Khushi Kharb, Converse
Freshman of the Year
Lexie Gillespie, Young Harris
Coach of the Year
Marcy O’Connor, Young Harris
First Team
Khushi Kharb, Converse
Pati Vedia Sanchez, Lees-McRae
Futaba Saito, Young Harris
Lina Ngassi Saqout, Lees-McRae
Viviana Gomez, Young Harris
Alexis Burkhalter, Belmont Abbey
Second Team
Lara Lanno, Francis Marion
Nina Bernier, Mount Olive
Simone Szovan, Mount Olive
Alejandra Carmona Garcia, Barton
Anjela Mrvaljevic, North Greenville
Hanna Vasconez, Erskine
Third Team
Valentina Guerrero, Erskine
Magdalena Skachova, Francis Marion
Kaitlin Nguyen, Belmont Abbey
Mackenzie McCarthy, Belmont Abbey
Leonie Hellum-Lilleengen, Barton
Aarni Yellu, Barton