BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Tennessee State women's tennis added another championship-level honor to its program legacy Monday as the Ohio Valley Conference announced the Tigers as recipients of the 2025–26 OVC Team Sportsmanship Award.

Voted on by OVC student-athletes and coaches, the award recognizes the program that best exemplifies conference and NCAA standards of sportsmanship, ethical competition and respect throughout the season. Evaluation considers the collective conduct of student-athletes, coaches, administrators, staff and fans.

Tennessee State's selection highlights a culture built on competitive excellence, integrity and professionalism — values that continue to define the Tigers both in competition and across the collegiate athletics landscape.

The honor marks the fifth Team Sportsmanship Award in program history for TSU, joining previous recognitions in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2023 and 2026. The 2025–26 academic year represents the 21st anniversary of the conference's team sportsmanship honors.

Established in 2005, the Team Sportsmanship Award expanded the Ohio Valley Conference's longstanding commitment to recognizing character and leadership alongside athletic success. The league's sportsmanship initiative dates back to the introduction of its Sportsmanship Statement in 1995 — a conference-wide commitment to fair play, ethical conduct and respect for opponents that became a national model for collegiate athletics.

The OVC later added the Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award in 1998, honoring a junior or senior student-athlete who best represents the character of the late Morehead State student-athlete, coach and administrator, followed by the institutional OVC Sportsmanship Award in 2003.

With the latest recognition, Tennessee State women's tennis continues to reinforce its standing as a program defined not only by performance, but by the values that shape the student-athlete experience.