Graduate student Paige Kluba was named CCS Women’s Tennis Rookie of the Year as she picked up tennis after a stellar Piedmont soccer career.
After graduating early in the spring of 2026, Kluba returned to Piedmont in the fall to finish her soccer career and pursue a Master of Science in Management. Kluba picked up tennis in the spring as a way to stay active and busy, but it had a lasting impact.
Kluba began the spring practicing one-on-one with head coach Trey Martin to get acclimated to the sports change and quickly picked it up.
“The two sports are very different,” said Kluba. “I enjoyed the opportunity to learn something new and not have the same expectations for a sport I have played my whole life.”
The accolade comes as a surprise to Kluba, since her rookie campaign started just two months ago.
“It honestly means everything to me,” said Kluba. “This was so unexpected. I am just grateful to be poured into by coach Trey and my teammates.”
Kluba stacks this accolade onto her already lengthy student-athlete resume as she was named a CCS and NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship honoree and a recipient of numerous CCS academic and athletic distinctions.
Kluba will round out her student-athlete campaign and tennis career in the CCS women’s tennis tournament.
