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The honor is given to Division I women's play- ers that display inspiring dedication and commit- ment to their team. It dates back to 1997 and is given in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women's tennis coach Cissie Leary. "A part of this sportsmanship award centers around leadership and sacrifice for one's team. Stephanie has done this at the highest level and has truly devoted herself to her teammates and coach- ing staff," Guilbeau said. Unknown to many tennis fans is that Nauta, while performing well on and off the court, has struggled with injuries. Since her junior circuit tennis days, she has had to fight the tendency to strain her abdomen. "It's very difficult to deal with that kind of in- jury," admitted Nauta. "It affects my serve, and I think it really set me back this year." Abdomen strains require lots of rest, but for Nauta, taking time off and not pulling her weight for the team is unacceptable. "I don't want to sit out a match, and I don't want to let my team down. I did fight through it a lot of the season," she explained. "I've been doing a ton of rehab, and right now it feels a lot better. Going into the summer that's something I'm focusing on — getting my core and overall body stronger." Nauta plans to spend the summer building up muscle and maybe adding a few pounds to her lean frame — the goal of a national championship is driving her. Next season, Virginia returns the current No. 6, No. 15 and No. 40 women's tennis players in the NCAA. Nauta believes that nucleus puts the Cava- liers in a strong position for a big run in 2015-16. "With the skill and talent we have on this team I think there's another level we can go to. That's our plan — to reach that higher level, not just individually but collectively. When we come back next spring, we're ready to go full throttle and get that NCAA title." ◆