The Shadow
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia fifth-year Melodie Collard, senior Annabelle Xu and junior Vivian Yang have been named 2026 Academic All-Americans, as selected by College Sports Communicators, the organization announced Tuesday (June 2). The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.
Xu was named to the first team while Collard and Yang earned second-team honors.
Xu finished the season with a 20-9 mark, including an 11-6 record in dual match play. Her season was highlighted by a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 26 Tatum Evans to clinch Virginia’s 4-3 upset victory over then-No. 5 North Carolina. She set new career highs in her singles ranking, climbing as high as No. 20. She also had a strong doubles season, posting a 29-9 record with partner Martina Genis Salas. This is Xu’s second CSC Academic All-America honor.
Collard went 17-6 on the year, finishing the season with wins in her final 12 completed singles matches. Primarily with partner Vivian Yang, she logged a 31-11 record in doubles and joined Erin Vierra as players with the most doubles wins in program history (129). This is the second CSC Academic All-America honor for Collard.
Yang, a transfer from Pepperdine, went 20-4 in singles and, with Collard, 29-10 in doubles. She climbed as high as No. 30 in the ITA singles rankings and as high as No. 3 in the doubles rankings. This is Yang’s first CSC Academic All-America honor.
Yang joins Elaine Chervinsky, Collard, Natasha Subhash and Xu as the only players in program history to be named CSC Academic All-Americans.
