ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University freshman Tabitha Howe has been named second-team All-South Atlantic Conference in singles as the conference released its women's tennis annual award winners on Wednesday.

Howe shared the team lead in singles victories in SAC matches this season, going 8-4 against conference opponents and 12-8 overall for the Pioneers. She helped Tusculum to a 13-6 record and fifth place in the league with an 8-4 record, along with a national ranking of 38th in Division II by the ITA.

The native of Sevenoaks, England began the season at flight five for the Pioneers but was moved up to flight three by the start of conference play. Howe went 3-3 at flight three in SAC matches and was then elevated to flight two, where she won five of her final six matches including three-set victories.

Howe is the first Tusculum freshman to be named All-Conference since Emilie Hansen in doubles in 2019, and is the first Pioneer freshman to be an All-Conference pick in singles since both Katarina Majorova and Annie McCullough were honored in 2017.

Voting on the SAC Women's Tennis awards was conducted by the league's 13 head coaches. Zulay Casteneda of Newberry was selected Player of the Year, with Freshman of the Year honors to Catherine Blouin of Anderson. Queens coach Billy Boykin was named Coach of the Year after leading the Royals to the top seed in this week's SAC Championship tournament.

Tusculum will play Newberry in the quarterfinal round of the SAC Championship tournament on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, South Carolina.

2022 SAC Women's Tennis All-Conference
First Team Doubles
Jill Morse/Marie Bertran De Balanda, Queens
Camilla Ciaccia/Suzuka Sambyakugari, Wingate
Nastassia Chamoun/Lucy Spice, Newberry

Second Team Doubles
Ana Carla Resende/Summer Reeves, Carson-Newman
Gemma Southwick/Lucy Whelan, Lenoir-Rhyne
Chloe Kosmrlj/Alex Lopez, Wingate

Third Team Doubles
Catherine Blouin/Laura Alvarez Tello, Anderson
Valentina Ascarrunz/Julia Valls, Lincoln Memorial
Liza Akimenko/Katya Akimenko, UVA Wise

First Team Singles
Zulay Castaneda, Newberry
Camilla Ciaccia, Wingate
Ana Carla Resende, Carson-Newman
Viktorija Veselinova, Queens
Jill Morse, Queens
Catherine Blouin, Anderson

Second Team Singles
Nastassia Chamoun, Newberry
Anna Greer, Anderson
Liza Akimenko, UVA Wise
Jessica Binzari, Coker
Gemma Southwick, Lenoir-Rhyne
Tabitha Howe, Tusculum

Third Team Singles
Anamaria Kiszner-Luca, Limestone
Hanna Axelsson, Queens
Violetta Khisamova, Carson-Newman
Valentina Ascarrunz, Lincoln Memorial
Evgeniya Pugina, Lenoir-Rhyne
Julia Valls, Lincoln Memorial

Player of the Year: Zulay Castaneda, Newberry
Freshman of the Year: Catherine Blouin, Anderson
Coach of the Year: Billy Boykin, Queens