Eva Paalma of Texas A&M has been named to the 2017-18 SEC Women’s Tennis Community Service Team, the Southeastern Conference announced today. It is the second consecutive year the senior from Tallinn, Estonia, has been named to the team.
The Community Service Team recognizes the accomplishments of student-athletes beyond the field of competition, highlighting a student-athlete from each school who gives back to her community in superior service efforts.
All league-sponsored sports have had a Community Service Team since 2004, with at-large teams for men’s and women’s sports being chosen from 1999-2003.
The complete 2017-18 SEC Women’s Tennis Community Service Team is as follows:
Andie Daniell • Alabama
Junior • Douglasville, Ga.
Andie Daniell has been a trailblazer for the Crimson Tide on-and-off the court as well as in the local community. As the women’s tennis representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Daniell spearheads all student engagement activities and organizes student outreach initiatives that impact the community, including facilitating the annual Halloween Extravaganza. Outside of being a force on the court and in the classroom, Daniell volunteers at the Black Warrior PT Clinic, has built houses in Tuscaloosa with Habitat for Humanity while also lending a helping hand at a local elementary school to teach kids about leadership, respect, goals and working well with others.
Peyton Jennings • Arkansas
Senior • Tulsa, Okla.
Peyton Jennings is very involved in the community. She participated in Salute to Veterans, a Valentine’s Day Celebration Event at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, as well as the Adopt a Veteran Program at the Arkansas State Veterans Home. She has volunteered at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter with the Children’s Fun Run and with the Razorbacks vs. Missouri Canned Food Drive at Walmart. She helped organize a senior prom at the Fayetteville Health and Rehabilitation Center and participated in the Red Ribbon Rally.
Andie Dikosavljevic • Auburn
Senior • Sunshine Coast, Australia
Despite the major commitment of being a collegiate tennis player, Dikosavljevic has also found time to work with the Young Women’s Leadership Program this year. In doing so, she has spent time at Auburn Junior High School mentoring 8th grade girls. She focuses mainly on teaching the girls life skills. After mentoring a “Little Sister” last year, Dikosavljevic has been a group facilitator this year, which consists of organizing small groups and making sure the “Big Sisters” are presenting the program each week. On top of that, Dikosavljevic also helps sort out any relationship issues between the “Bigs” and “Littles.”
Anna Danilina • Florida
Senior • Moscow, Russia
Not only does Anna Danilina play the No. 1 singles and doubles positions for the Gators, the UF senior has led the team in its community service efforts during the 2017-18 season. Danilina focused her volunteer time with children, becoming involved with events like Miracle on Main Street, which Junior League which has “put on a “toy sale” in the Gainesville community for families who might not otherwise have holiday gifts for their children over the holidays.” Danilina also has interacted with children and families at the local Ronald McDonald House, the Food4Kids Warehouse and the Wrapping Party, where Gator student-athletes wrap hundreds of new shoes collected as gifts for area youth.
Laura Patterson • Georgia
Senior • Roswell, Ga.
Laura Patterson helped organize and head the team’s trip to the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia in Athens. The team volunteered their time off the court to help bag bread that was then donated to 14 counties across the Northeast Georgia area. Previously, Patterson and the team has been involved in Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army Angel Tree Initiative. Serving as one of two women’s tennis players on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, Patterson is a part of the student athlete leadership group composed of 83 student-athletes.
Akvile Parazinskaite • Kentucky
Junior • Vilnius, Lithuania
Akvile Parazinskaite volunteered for Read Across America program at a local elementary school, reading with children and helped pack backpacks for the UK Athletics Backpack Program. She was also a Louisiana Flood Relief Drive volunteer and volunteered at Breakfast with Santa, an annual event which raises money for Daniel's Care, the children's division of Hospice of the Bluegrass. She has also participated in the Salvation Army bell ringing program, served meals at God's Pantry, and Volunteered with CATS Cultivating Character.
Ryann Foster • LSU
Senior • Wayne, N.J.
Participates in the 22nd annual Halloween BOO-zar, a free event for Baton Rouge area children and their families to enjoy trick-or-treating, carnival games and costumes while interacting with LSU student-athletes and coaches before Halloween. Also participated in Thanksgiving with the Tigers, a Thanksgiving and Christmas themed community event where student-athletes adopt a child from the Big Buddy Program and provide them with Christmas presents as they share a Thanksgiving meal together with their families. She collected and distributed resources donated by the community along with other student-athletes to send to victims of the flooding in Houston.
Tereza Janatova • Ole Miss
Sophomore • Nova Paka, Czech Republic
Tereza Janatova is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She helped with Hope to Dream, a partnership with Ashley Home Furniture Store, which provides beds to children and families who might not otherwise be able to afford one.
Anastasia Rentouli • Mississippi State
Junior • Athens, Greece
During the summer of 2017, Anastasia Rentouli held a voluntary nature internship position at tempCFO. In the fall, Rentouli volunteered several times with Salvation Army sorting donations for the organization. The Greece-native volunteered at Starkville’s Art In The Park where she assisted at the Block Printing Booth. Art In The Park serves to provide children with the opportunity to participate in free art activities that inspire creativity and encourage artistic expression. She volunteered at the Dawg Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness and the TK Martin Fun Run where she encouraged participants along the route. During the winter break, Rentouli logged over 25 hours at the Mosaico House a refugee shelter in Athens where she entertained the kids with various activities, aided in Christmas workshops and helped with the kids’ homework. Rentouli read to students at local Starkville schools for JA of Starkville Reading Railroad and Read Across America. She volunteered at both National Girls and Women In Sports Day events advocating the importance of young girls to participate in sport activities.
Clare Raley • Missouri
Senior • Atlanta, Ga.
Clare Raley has been an active volunteer representing Mizzou Athletics. She has participated in “Mizzou Moves”, a Mizzou Athletics partnership with local elementary schools that promotes healthy eating and physical fitness, and has also helped with cleanup of the MKT Trail, the flagship of the City of Columbia’s extensive trail system. Clare has served The Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri, as well as the local chapter of the Susan G Komen Foundation.
Rachel Rohrabacher • South Carolina
Junior • Tampa, Fla.
Rachel Rohrabacher has volunteered at several places around Columbia, including speaking to students at Heathwood Hall and St. Andrews Middle School, and volunteering at a Babcock Charity Event and Meals on Wheels. Rohrabacher is one of the women’s tennis representatives on South Carolina’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and has been an integral part of the marketing committee within SAAC. Rohrabacher and the marketing committee have worked hard this year to help create a greater sense of community amongst student-athletes through social media campaigns. Rohrabacher has typically been the one to organize team-specific volunteer events for South Carolina women’s tennis, and has proven herself as a leader amongst her peers.
Sadie Hammond • Tennessee
Junior • Belgrade, Maine
Sadie Hammond has a total of 158 volunteer hours during the 2017-18 academic year. She helped out with the MOBALE Summer Sports Camp for a total of 75.5 hours of volunteer time. She also was part of a 13-day study abroad journey to Vietnam last summer for UT’s VOLeaders Academy, where she worked with children in orphanages, volunteered at various sport skill camps and visited with university students for 70 hours of volunteering opportunities. Hammond assisted with several tennis camps throughout the year, spanning from UT’s Lil Smokey’s Tennis Clinic for kids to Cardio Tennis at the Cherokee Country Club. She as accumulated the most volunteer hours by any Lady Vol for each of the last two seasons and was also named to the 2017 SEC Community Service Team.
Eva Paalma • Texas A&M
Senior • Tallinn, Estonia
Eva Paalma, a representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, has helped organize, promote and collect donations for the Aggies CAN food drive each of the last four years. She volunteered at Navarro Elementary School’s Annual Reading Night and participated in Aggies Move, speaking to kids about the importance of healthy lifestyles. She has volunteered in the “Paws to the Pavement” Family Fun Run to promote community spirit in a safe, active, and healthy way, and she has packed weekend lunches for school kids at the Brazos Valley Food Bank. Paalma has participated in numerous other service activities, including charity tennis events, serving as a guest speaker at a Girls World Expo event and organizing an event on behalf of WTW for Texas Paralympic Athletes.
Fernanda Contreras • Vanderbilt
Junior • Austin, Texas
Fernanda Contreras has amassed 45 hours of community service this year. She has worked with the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, volunteering while studying abroad at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. She has also volunteered with Rise Against Hunger, Nashville Humane Society and Dance Marathon and partnered with Vanderbilt and Soles4Souls working a donation drive.
