West Valley's Ocher, Salazar, Vossen selected to ITA All-Academic Team

SARATOGA - West Valley College tennis players Olivia Ocher, Abigail Salazar and Seraphina Vossen were named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) 2021 Junior College Women's All-Academic Team, the ITA announced Friday.

After notification of the awards by the ITA, Viking coach Lauren Hickey said, "I am extremely proud of these three remarkable women. Olivia, Abby and Seraphina have contributed to the success of the team on the court as well as in the classroom. A cornerstone of our program is academic success. It has been a privilege to work with these three and to celebrate their accomplishments."

Ocher, who will attend UCLA in the fall, was the recipient of the WVC 2021 President's Athlete Scholar Award and the 2021 Fang Pei Promise Fund scholarship. "Olivia just completed her second year in the program and was undefeated on the court in singles," said Hickey. "She gracefully navigated the challenges of being a student-athlete, which resulted in her earning the prestigious President's award."

Salazar spent three seasons in the Viking program as one of Hickey's first recruits as the new WVC coach in 2018. "It has been so great to watch Abby grow as a person and a player," Hickey commented. "Her passion for competition and support of her teammates was always on display." Salazar will continue her studies at San José St.

One of the top players in NorCal in 2021, Vossen will return for her sophomore season in 2021-22. Said Hickey of her #1 singles player, "Seraphina had a tremendous impact on our program in her first year. She grew into a leadership role through her actions both on the court and in the classroom."

The trio of Vikings join 71 other women from 13 different colleges from across the country on the ITA squad. Members of the All-Academic team must maintain at least a 3.5 GPA during the season of competition.

(Matt Folsom, WVC Athletics)