Regardless of if it is on the court or off, the Northwestern State tennis team excels.

On the court, the Lady Demons earned a share of the Southland Conference regular season championship this spring, and now off it, NSU has been named an ITA All-Academic team and seven Lady Demon competitors earned an ITA Scholar Athlete award.

To be named an All-Academic Team, the school must have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above, while athletes must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the current academic year to earn a Scholar Athlete award.

NSU’s seven athletes honored are Ayu Ishibashi, Zoi Spyrou, Sofia Garcia, Maria Farina, Honoka Umeda, Pika Doberlet and Valeria Ortega.

Overall, 1,462 Division I women’s student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, while 222 women’s tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction.

The team dominated in the classroom, sporting a 3.717 GPA to earn an ITA All-Academic Team designation.

Ishibashi and Farina recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs. Ishibashi earned second-team All-SLC honors to round out her collegiate career.

Ortega wasted little time making her mark in the classroom at NSU, posting a 3.917 GPA in her freshman season in Natchitoches.

Umeda sported a 3.093 GPA while majoring in psychology after a solid season on the court in the top half of the singles rotation.

Doberlet and Garcia each posted grade point averages of better than a 3.80.

Garcia had a sensational season on the court, going 10-1 and 8-1 during SLC play, dominating in the back part of the rotation for the Lady Demons. Off the court, she had a 3.80 GPA, majoring in business administration.

A newcomer, Spyrou also made the team, majoring in psychology. She excelled in doubled, going 8-4 overall and 4-1 during SLC play.