Two Added to Frog Women's Tennis Roster
8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Aug. 5, 2009
FORT WORTH—The TCU women's tennis team has added two players to its roster for the upcoming season, head coach Jefferson Hammond announced Wednesday. Megan Alexander and Shalini Sahoo will each bring impressive resumes with them to campus for the 2009-10 campaign.
"We are very excited about the additions of Shalini and Megan," Hammond said "They are two excellent players who will really be a big part of our team this coming season."
Alexander, a 5-6 righthander from Dallas, compiled a successful profile at the NCAA level while competing at Florida. A two-time NCAA All-American for the Gators, Alexander has climbed to a high position of No. 17 in the ITA singles rankings during her career, while she reached a ranking of No. 5 in the ITA doubles listing with former UF partner Marrit Boonstra in the spring of 2008.
A product of Dallas' Spring Creek Academy, Alexander competed in the NCAA Singles Championships as a freshman in 2007 and in the NCAA Doubles Championships as a sophomore in 2008, earning All-America accolades in both instances. She proved to be a clutch player for the Gators in two trips to the NCAA Team Championships, as she helped the team reach the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2007 and the NCAA Semifinals in 2008.
"Obviously, Megan has shown that she is an unbelievable player so far in her career," Hammond said. "Having been a two-time All-American, she comes in with tremendous collegiate experience. Moreover, she is a great competitor and that will further compliment the group of competitors we have now."
Prior to her time at Florida, Alexander was a standout on the USTA juniors scene. She claimed the No. 1 position in the USTA National Girls 18 standings during each of the 2004 and 2005 seasons and won the singles competition at the 2005 USTA National Open Championships. Alexander also reached the doubles final at the same event. Honors she won as a junior include the 2005 Chuck McKinley Award for earning the No. 1 national USTA ranking and the 2005 Mary Lowden Award as the Texas Female Player of the Year.
In addition to her success on the court, Alexander has also excelled in the classroom. She was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2008, one season after earning a spot on the 2007 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.
Joining Alexader at TCU this fall will be Sahoo, a native of New Delhi, India, who has experienced success on the international level. The righthander reached high positions of No. 623 in singles and No. 891 in doubles in the WTF world rankings this past spring. Sahoo transferred to TCU from Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi.
"Shalini is an excellent student and a proven player," Hammond said. "She will bring a very hard working mentality to the squad and because of that will fit right in."
The two additions bring the Frogs' total roster size to eight players for the 2009-10 campaign. TCU kicks off its fall tournament season Sept. 18 with the Racquet Club Invitational in Midland, Texas.
Players Mentioned
