TCU Women's Tennis Finalizes Strong Recruiting Class
6/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
June 27, 2011
FORT WORTH - TCU's women's tennis team has added six to its roster for the 2011-12 season, coach Dave Borelli announced Monday.
The 2011-12 class features two Southeastern Conference transfers, two international first-year freshmen, one first-year sophomore and a walk-on. Both of the transfers will be eligible for competition in the fall.
"Getting two players form the SEC will help us quite a bit, as well as the other girls," Boreli said. "We've added great depth in singles and strength in doubles play."
Millie Nichols, who spent her first season of collegiate tennis at the University of Tennessee, will be eligible to play immediately for the Horned Frogs. One of the top recruits in the state of Texas out of high school, Nichols tallied a 17-8 record during the dual season from the Nos. 5 and 6 spots for the No. 17-ranked Lady Vols. She also had the distinction of being ranked in the top 30 of the ITA doubles rankings with two different partners.
An Austin, Texas, native, Nichols is the younger sister of Kewa Nichols, who competed for the Horned Frog women from 2005 to 2008, and Zach Nichols, who just completed his final season of competition for the TCU men's squad.
Also transferring to TCU is Kelsey Sundaram, who has been on the roster at the University of Arkansas for two years. Before battling injuries her sophomore year, the New Braunfels, Texas, native racked up a 20-5 singles mark (8-2 in the SEC) during the dual season of her freshman year. In doubles during the spring of 2010, Sundaram was 16-9 with the majority of her wins at the No. 2 spot. She is a former top-20 nationally ranked 18-year-old.
Stefanie Tan, the No. 1 women's player in Singapore, joins the Frogs in the fall after a successful junior career. Recently, Tan traveled to Thailand for the 2011 Federation Cup. Tan was ranked as high as No. 172 in the ITF junior rankings and is currently ranked No. 1023 in the WTA world rankings.
Simona Parajova signed with TCU in the fall signing period and garnered an all-time high ranking of No. 175 in the ITF junior rankings, as well as high as No. 917 in the ITF singles rankings and No. 756 in the ITF doubles rankings. The Slovakia native made the doubles finals of the $10,000 ITF event in Poland.
In addition to Nichols, Sundaram, Tan and Parajova, Gaby Fernandez, the top-ranked junior player from Colombia, has agreed to walk on with the Frogs. Gabi Barbosa, who has been on campus since January 2011 and was formerly ranked No. 530 in the ITF singles rankings and No. 584 in the doubles rankings, will be eligible in the spring of 2012.
The new players will join returners Federica Denti, Gaby Mastromarino, Olivia Smith and Molly Welsh. A year ago, TCU went 13-11 and came within a match of returning to the NCAA Tennis Championship for the eighth-straight year.
"In terms of quality players, this is one of the strongest recruiting years I've had at TCU," Borelli said. "All of these girls are hard working and want to play tennis at the next level, which will help us create a great atmosphere in practice. Our doubles strength and singles depth should make an immediate impact on the national scene."
Players Mentioned
