PETERSBURG, VA (April 24, 2026) – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) announced its 2026 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Team and individual award winners on Friday, recognizing the conference’s top performers following an outstanding season of competition.
Leading this year’s honorees is Shaw University’s Serena Teluwo, who was named CIAA Women’s Tennis Player of the Year after a dominant campaign at the top of the Lady Bears’ lineup. Teluwo delivered a dominant 2026 campaign at the No. 1 singles position, consistently facing and defeating each opponent’s top player while recording multiple decisive victories, including straight-set wins over Virginia Union and Bowie State. She also contributed key doubles wins throughout the season, anchoring the Lady Bears and helping lead the program to another division title.
Bluefield State University’s Sirisha Dheer earned CIAA Women’s Tennis Rookie of the Year honors following an impressive debut season. Dheer went undefeated in conference singles play while competing across the No. 3 and No. 4 positions, consistently delivering key points for the Big Blue. She also contributed in doubles at the No. 2 position, helping lead Bluefield State to a Northern Division title.
Shaw University’s Sunday Enitan was named CIAA Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Bears to an undefeated conference season and another division championship in 2026. Despite significant roster turnover, Enitan retooled his lineup and maintained a championship standard, developing new contributors across both singles and doubles play. He also challenged his team with a competitive non-conference schedule, reinforcing Shaw’s consistency and preparation throughout the season.
The 2026 All-CIAA Women’s Tennis Team features a balanced group of standouts representing multiple institutions across the conference:
- Mikayla Stewart, Winston-Salem State University
- Halley Banda, Shaw University
- Sirisha Dheer, Bluefield State University
- Adriana Torroba, Bluefield State University
- McKinley Battle, Winston-Salem State University
- Kyla Burns, Winston-Salem State University
- Alexcie Burrows, Virginia State University
- Ekin Ozmen, Bluefield State University
- Serena Teluwo, Shaw University
- Camilla Angiani-Mortino, Shaw University
- J-na Leilani Hereford, Virginia State University
- Divija Manneni, Johnson C. Smith University
Bluefield State University secured the Northern Division Championship, while Shaw University claimed the Southern Division title, setting the stage for a competitive championship weekend.
The CIAA Women’s Tennis Championship continues April 24–25 at Virginia State University, where teams will compete for the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women’s Tennis Championship.
Media Contact:
Anna M. Butzlaff
Associate Commissioner, Strategic Communications
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
abutzlaff@theciaa.com
About the CIAA
Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first, and longest running, African American athletic conference in the U.S. and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, for both 2018 and 2019.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member institutions: Bowie State University, Bluefield State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.