STATESBORO - Georgia Southern head women's tennis coach Sean McCaffrey today announced the addition of Silvia Martinez Jimenez to the Eagle program. She will join the squad for the Spring 2022 semester.

A native of Barcelona, Spain, Martinez played her freshman season at Ball State, where she went 14-3 in singles and 8-3 in doubles action for the Cardinals. She played matches from No. 3 through No. 6 in the singles lineup, going 10-2 at No. 6 singles. She teamed with Jessica Braun to go 8-2 in doubles, including an unbeaten 2-0 mark at No. 1 doubles and a 6-2 mark at No. 2 doubles.

Prior to joining Ball State, Martinez played for International Tennis Barcelona for coach Carlos Megias. She graduated from Cidead in Barcelona.

"I chose Georgia Southern because, after seeing the atmosphere between the coach and the players, I felt it would be the best place for me to continue my college years," Martinez said. "I feel at Georgia Southern, I will improve as a tennis player and as a person. I can't wait to be part of the special connection this team has. I'm so excited to be an Eagle!"

"Silvy is going to be a great addition to the Eagle tennis program," Head Coach McCaffrey said. "The fact that she had not only a great deal of success on the world and ITF Circuit, but also an extremely solid freshman year on a conference championship team. Silvy will, for sure, bring a great deal of experience and composure to a program that is working towards another conference championship in 2022 and beyond. We are excited to welcome her as she continues on her path toward her academic, athletic and personal development goals!"

Georgia Southern went 19-9 in 2021, capturing its first Sun Belt Conference tournament title with a 4-3 win over South Alabama and earning the program's first NCAA Championships berth. The Eagles return six players from that squad for 2022 and welcome in two newcomers, including Martinez.