Three Irish Claim ITA Midwest Regional Awards

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s tennis program claimed three separate ITA Midwest Regional award winners on Tuesday, tying Ohio State for the most honors. The three Fighting Irish student-athletes who were honored include:

Midwest Regional Award Winners

• ITA Most Improved Player: Bianca Molnar
• Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award: Akari Matsuno
• ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship: Rylie Hanford

The ITA Most Improved Award goes to a student-athlete who demonstrated the most significant athletic growth, performance improvements, and commitment. For Notre Dame, Bianca Molnar recorded an absolute breakout year. 

It started with an ITA Midwest Regionals doubles championship and singles finalist showing in the fall, resulting in her punching her ticket to both the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships. 

In the spring, she held down the No. 1 singles position, where she accumulated 10 wins for the Irish. Ultimately, she finished 12-8 in dual singles matches and 19-12 overall on the year. 

In doubles, Bianca Molnar and Bojana Pozder posted a 20-11 overall record, becoming the first Irish tandem to secure 20 wins since Quinn Gleason/Monica Robinson in 2015. 

When the All-ACC awards rolled out in late April, Molnar took home Third Team honors in both singles and doubles. In addition, Molnar achieved career-high rankings this year in both singles (No. 45) and doubles (No. 21) as well. 

*Important to note – the award was formally known as the ITA Midwest Regional Most Improved Senior Award, which had been won only once before by a Notre Dame student-athlete – Monica Robinson in 2017. It was changed in 2024 to allow any class an opportunity. 

Next up, Akari Matusno won the prestigious Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award. The honor dates back to 1982 and is presented to the men’s and women’s student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.

A great reflection of the program’s culture under Notre Dame Head Coach Alison Silverio – Matsuno is the second straight winner of the award, with Nibi Ghosh earning it in 2025. Furthermore, Matsuno is the sixth all-time winner of the award in program history. 

Matsuno compiled an 18-10 overall singles record with a 13-6 mark in dual play. In doubles, she posted a 20-16 overall record with a 14-11 showing in dual action. Matsuno was a 2025 All-ACC selection and a soon-to-be three-time ACC All-Academic Team honoree. 

Then, there was Rylie Hanford, who claimed the ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship honor. This award goes to a Division I women’s player who displayed inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which enhanced her team’s performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. The award dates back to 1997 and is in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women’s tennis coach Cissie Leary.

Hanford becomes the third all-time winner and first since 2004, joining Kelly Zalinkski and Alicia Salas. 

For her senior campaign, Hanford achieved an 11-9 record in dual singles play and 14-7 in doubles. Her 14 doubles dual wins alongside Gabriella Rawles led all Irish pairings. In fact, the duo finished with a No. 72 national doubles ranking after notching a top-5 victory at the ACC Tournament. 

Lastly, further illustrating success both on and off the tennis court, all three award winners today were also the same three who landed on the CSC Academic All-District Team. 

— ND —