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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Junior Carol Kahoun of the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team earned the Atlantic Region ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Award for Sportsmanship and Leadership, as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Tuesday. This is the first of such honors for Kahoun, who is now in the running for the national honor.

The ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. National Leadership and Sportsmanship Awards are given annually to student-athletes who have shown great achievements on and off the court. A select group of accomplished student-athletes have been honored in this way since 1982. The award takes into account a player’s tennis accomplishments, scholastic achievements and extracurricular endeavors, and recognizes players who excelled on and off the court as Ashe did during his life. Sportsmanship, leadership and character are important criteria, as is giving back to the community.

Kahoun has volunteered along with her team at the Montgomery County Christmas Store, a non-profit organization that assists low-income families during the Christmas season. During the fall she also organized a Pumpkin Carving Contest and collected donations from teams to go towards American Cancer Society, while also supporting cancer research through her participation in Relay for Life.

This year, the Visp, Switzerland native served as President of the Virginia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and recently was awarded the ACC Top Six for Service Award, an accolade presented annually to six student-athletes from each conference institution who demonstrate dedication to community service and outreach programs.

Kahoun has been a three-year contributor for the Hokies and was named the team’s MVP for the 2014 season. She finished her junior season with a 16-12 overall record, going 8-9 in dual play. She was 5-0 on the year in three-set matches and boasted a 3-2 record from the No. 4 spot.

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