Photo by: Alina Lebedeva
Tulsa’s Berlanga Named AAC Player of the Year; Velasquez Tabbed All-Conference
4/30/2025 2:01:00 PM | Women's Tennis
IRVING, Texas — University of Tulsa women's tennis senior Maria Berlanga Bandera has been named the American Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year after an outstanding season as the Golden Hurricane's No. 1 singles player and half of the No. 1 doubles pairing. She and her senior teammate Mariana Manyoma Velasquez were listed on the All-Conference Team, as voted on by the league's coaches.
Berlanga is the fifth Hurricane to be named The American Player of the Year, joining her former teammate Laia Conde Monfort (2019-23) in 2022, Ksenia Laskutova (2014-18) in 2018, Rongrong Leenabanchong (2013-17) in 2017 and Saana Saarteinen (2012-16) in 2016.
Meanwhile, Berlanga and Velasquez received the program's all-time 101st and 102nd all-conference awards, moving the bar to 37 total AAC All-Conference honors.
Ranked as high as No. 65 in the national singles rankings, Berlanga went 26-8 overall with a 19-6 dual-match mark at No. 1 Singles. She put together five wins this year against ranked opponents, including against No. 47 Alina Shcherbinina (Oklahoma), No. 47 Josie Usereau (Arizona), No. 93 Carlina Gomez (Arkansas), No. 104 Xin Tong Wang (Wichita State) and No. 124 Sophie Llewellyn (SMU) in a match that Berlanga clinched for Tulsa for the 4-3 win.
In doubles play, she and senior Lily Hutchings formed the Hurricane's No. 1 duo, ranking as high as No. 18 in the nation. Together, they captured the ITA Central Regional doubles title for a bid to the NCAA Individual Championships in the fall. They also earned three wins over ranked foes, the best of which came against No. 33 Darya Schwartzman/Fernanda Martinez of Rice. As a pair, Berlanga and Hutchings clinched eight doubles points for TU to help the Hurricane win doubles action in 20 of 27 matches and in 18 of 19 team victories.
Velasquez enjoyed one of the most efficient campaigns in program history, earning a 19-6 overall singles record and a 16-4 mark across the second and third positions in dual matches for an .800 winning percentage. She had a six-match winning streak in singles play that spanned nearly exactly two months from Feb. 4 to April 5. She was the clinching point in team victories for Tulsa against Wyoming and Kansas City.
Velasquez helped form the Hurricane's winningest doubles tandem with senior Ana Naranjo Martinez, who went 26-5 overall (.838) and 19-2 at Doubles No. 2 (.904) together to earn a season-high national ranking of No. 58 in the March 4 ITA doubles poll. As a unit, they won The American doubles title in the fall and earned a ranked victory over No. 78 Grace O'Donnell/Anet Koskel of Arkansas on Feb. 24. Velasquez and Naranjo clinched seven doubles points for Tulsa over the spring
The 19-8 Tulsa women will take on No. 20 Oklahoma State (19-7) this Friday, May 2, in the NCAA First Round at the Norman Regional, starting at 11 a.m. Central on Oklahoma's home courts at Headington Family Tennis Center.
Players of the Year
Leonie Moeller, So., Memphis
Maria Berlanga Bandera, Sr., Tulsa
Freshman of the Year
Campbell Ricci, Tulane
Coach of the Year
Hayden Perez, Memphis
All-Conference Team
Amira Badawi, Gr., Charlotte
Ni Xi, Fr., Charlotte
Panna Bartha, So., Florida Atlantic
Victoria Gomez O'Hayon, Sr., Florida Atlantic
Alexandra Silna, Sr., Florida Atlantic
Leonie Moeller, So., Memphis
Sofia Mykhailets, Fr.. Memphis
Divna Ratkovic, So., Rice
Darya Schwartzman, Jr., Rice
Campbell Ricci, Fr. Tulane
Maria Berlanga Bandera, Sr., Tulsa
Mariana Manyoma Velasquez, Sr., Tulsa
Giorgia Roselli, So., Wichita State
Xin Tong Wang, So., Wichita State
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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