Benedetti Named MVC Freshman of the Year; Four Redbirds Earn All-MVC Honors

ST. LOUIS – Illinois State first-year standout Vittoria Benedetti was selected as the 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and four Redbirds were named to the All-MVC Team on Thursday, as announced by the league office.

Benedetti also earned First-Team All-MVC honors at No. 3 singles and was joined on the first team by teammate Nuria Sanz, who earned First-Team All-MVC honors at No. 5 singles. Sanz and partner Nicole Iosio also earned First-Team All-MVC honors at the No. 2 doubles position for the Redbirds. Senior Siliva Pomarolli earned All-MVC Second-Team honors at No. 2 singles and Iosio rounded out the Redbird honorees with a second-team selection at No. 4 singles.

Benedetti is the seventh Redbird in league history to win MVC Freshman of the Year honors, joining recent winners Nevena Kolarevic (2023) and Tijana Zlatanovic (2021). The Montecatini Terme, Italy, native went 6-1 for the Redbirds in singles at the No. 3 position, winning her last five matches in conference play. Overall, Benedetti was 16-4 in singles action this spring, while also holding a 15-4 record in doubles action playing mostly with Emma Lindh.

Sanz went a perfect 7-0 at the No. 5 spot for the Redbirds in MVC play, with six of those wins coming in straight sets. The senior from Valencia, Spain, was stellar all year as she put together at 26-4 overall record dating back to fall matches. She, along with Iosio, was also strong as a doubles tandem as the duo went 6-1 during league play at the No. 2 position. 

Pomarolli capped a stellar senior campaign to earn All-MVC Second-Team honors, as she went 5-2 in MVC play with five matches at the No. 2 spot and a pair of wins at the No. 1 spot to end the season. The Cecina, Italy, native was 19-9 on the year overall in singles play and was also 5-2 in doubles action at the No. 1 spot for the Redbirds with partners Lana Caculovic and Benedetti. In addition to her all-MVC honors as a doubles standout, Iosio also earned second-team honors as a singles player as she went 5-2 at the No. 4 spot for the Redbirds during league matches. 

The Redbirds claimed the No. 2 seed in the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Tennis Championship, after finishing tied with Murray State at 5-2 in conference play and earning the tiebreaker. ISU received a bye into the semifinals on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. in Chicago, and will take on the winner of the No. 3 Murray State/No. 6 Belmont quarterfinal matchup which is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. CT.

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