The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Herea named SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week
03.18.2026 | Women's Tennis
Carmen Herea went a combined 4-0 in leading Texas to wins over No. 1 Georgia and No. 22 South Carolina.
Austin – Texas Women's Tennis sophomore Carmen Herea was named the SEC Women's Tennis Player of the Week, the conference announced Wednesday.
It marks the second weekly SEC honor of her career but her first as Player of the Week after she was tabbed a Freshman of the Week last season. It is also the fourth weekly honor for the Longhorns this season with the previous three being Freshman of the Week with two for Elizabeth Ionescu and one for Anastasia Abbagnato.
Herea went a combined 4-0, including two top-50 straight-sets singles wins, in leading Texas to victories over No. 1 Georgia (4-1) and No. 22 South Carolina (4-2). Against the Bulldogs, Herea registered a win over No. 6 Aysegul Mert, 7-6 (5), 6-2, at No. 1 that provided the Longhorns with a 3-0 lead in the overall match.
In doubles of both of this week's matches, Herea partnered with freshman Mathilde Ngijol-Carré for just the second and third times in their careers, and they moved to 3-0 with their win against Georgia's Emma Dong and Anastasiia Gureva, 6-3, at No. 3. That evened the doubles point, which Texas eventually won for a 1-0 lead.
Against the Gamecocks, Herea downed No. 47 Kaitlyn Carnicella, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1 to provide the Longhorns a 3-1 overall lead. Earlier in the match, Herea and Ngijol-Carré paired for a 6-4 win over Carnicella and Stojanova at No. 3 that clinched the doubles point.
Herea is now 11-2 in dual match singles play this year, including seven top-50 wins. She has won her last seven decisions with four of those against top-50 foes and only one unfinished match in that stretch of eight total. She is also 9-3 in doubles this season and has won six of her last seven decisions, including a win over No. 19 and the only loss being against No. 2.
The Longhorns will next head back out on the road to face Kentucky in Lexington on Friday, March 20, at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT.
