Vilmarie Castellvi, from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, entered her senior 2002 tennis season at the University of Tennessee as the nation's No. 1 ranked singles player. Castellvi notched an impressive 44- 8 mark in singles action while leading the Lady Vols to their first ever NCAA Tennis Final Four appearance. It also marked the first time Tennessee had advanced beyond the Sweet 16.

In addition to being named SEC second team and Lady Vol Athlete of the Year, Castellvi earned ITA AII-America status. She backed up that achievement by becoming the second Lady Vol to advance to the quarterfinals at the 2002 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships and closed out her season ranked No. 4, the highest ranking ever earned by a Lady Vol.