STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton State Tennis freshmen Aya Ishii and Marissa Minetti picked up both of the Western Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week awards, the conference announced Tuesday.
Ishii was named WAC Singles Player of the Week while Minetti earned WAC Doubles Team of the Week honors with Ishii. This is Minetti’s third weekly/monthly honor from the WAC and Ishii’s second of the 2025-26 season.
The award increased the Texans’ midseason monthly/weekly award total at the Division I level to 54 under head coach Elianne Douglas-Miron.
“I’m very impressed with Aya and Marissa,” Douglas-Miron said. “They’ve been working very hard and it’s showing on the court. They are a great doubles team together, they get along really well, and overall they are putting in the work and doing it in matches. Sometimes in matches, you go back to old habits. They’ve both really pushed through to keep the good habits they establish in practice. We’re going to see a lot more good things from these freshmen.”
Ishii had a combined 3-0 singles record last weekend at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots. She tallied two bagels and did not lose a set as Tarleton State’s top singles player. Her singles match against McNeese on Sunday tied the team scored 1-1, helping the Texans sweep singles and get the come-from-behind win. She has won 10 consecutive singles sets entering this weekend.
After clinching the WAC Fall Invitational doubles title and qualifying for the ITA Conference Masters Championship, Ishii and sophomore Maria Castano advanced to the round of 16 in doubles in the ITA’s event. The victory marked the first win in singles or doubles for the Texans at the ITA Conference Masters Championship. Ishii currently co-leads the team in singles wins this spring with five after finishing fall with a 7-1 singles record. The first Japanese player in Tarleton State’s Division I era posted a top 20 ranking both in singles and doubles while representing Urawareimei High School.
Minetti partnered with Ishii to win their fourth consecutive doubles match as a duo, posting a 3-0 record at the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles spots. They collected their first bagel as a duo on Sunday against McNeese, becoming the first freshmen duo in the Division I era to collect a bagel in doubles. Their efforts also helped the Texans extend their home winning streak to 15 matches, dating back to the 2023-24 season.
Minetti has had a strong start in her first collegiate season, going unbeaten in September and finishing fall nationally ranked No. 111 by the ITA. The freshman won the Flight F singles draw of the ACU Classic Arriving in Stephenville as the first Texan in the Division I era from Finland, Minetti finished second in the U21 National Championship and had a third-place finish at the Women’s Finnish Championship.
The Texans are back in action at the Tarleton State Tennis Facility starting Saturday with Texas State at 11 a.m. Tarleton State wraps up the weekend homestand against Incarnate Word on Sunday at 11 a.m. Admission to all Tarleton State home matches are free.
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