SOCON RELEASE
 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (April 16, 2025) – The Southern Conference unveiled its annual award winners and All-SoCon teams on Wednesday ahead of the start of the 2025 SoCon Women's Tennis Tournament tomorrow. Ksenija Rage was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year, while Daniela Rivera (First Team Singles, Doubles) and Alessandra Caceres (First Team Doubles, Second Team Singles) also garnered All-SoCon honors.
 
Rage went 13-5 in singles and 7-10 in doubles during her first season as a Buc this spring. Rage's 13 victories were the most of any Buc in 2025. The freshman from Spain also won matches against players from Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Alabama and nationally-ranked FIU. Rage joins Kristy Pace (1993) and Fernanda Carvajal (2021) as Bucs that have earned SoCon Freshman of the Year honors.
 
Rivera went 10-9 in singles on her way to earning All-SoCon First Team honors for the first time after garnering back-to-back Second Team nods. Rivera teamed with fellow Buc Caceres to go 14-4 this season. The duo of Rivera and Caceres, who were nationally-ranked multiple times in 2025, won six of their last seven matches to close out the regular season. For Rivera, it is the fourth time in her career that she has earned All-SoCon honors in doubles after teaming with Carvajal for the other three seasons.
 
Caceres, an All-SoCon Freshman Team honoree in 2024, moved up in the Buccaneer lineup in both singles and doubles as a sophomore. In singles, Caceres went 10-10 and teamed with Rivera for the 14-4 mark in doubles. Caceres also was named the SoCon Player of the Week twice this season on January 28 and February 11.
 
ETSU will open play in the 2025 SoCon Women's Tennis Tournament Thursday afternoon from the Champions Club in Chattanooga. The Bucs, which drew the No. 2 seed, will clash with No. 7 seed Samford. First serve between the Bucs and Bulldogs is set for 3 p.m.
 
For more information on Buccaneer women's tennis, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's tennis tab.