Women's Tennis Signs Three To National Letter Of Intent
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May 17, 2002
Charlottesville, Va. – Phil Rogers, who will enter his 21st season as head coach of the UVa women’s tennis team next season, has announced three signees for the 2002-2003 school year.
“We feel very fortunate and excited about signing this outstanding group of student-athletes,” Rogers said. “They are all exceptional individuals, strong students and just the type of players that we look for. They will have an immediate impact on our program.”
The three new signees for 2002-2003 are Lauren Bruch of Lake Forest, Illinois, Kristen James of Centreville High School in Clifton, Virginia, and Lori Stern from Ojai, California. Kristen James is the younger sister of current team member Laura James.
Bruch is one of the top players in the Midwest. She was ranked as high as No. 9 in the 16’s in her section and as high as No. 2 in the state of Illinois. Nationally, she was ranked as high as No. 54 in the 16’s and No. 85 in the 18’s. Just this past month, Bruch won the sportsmanship award for her section from the USTA (Helen Shockley Sportsmanship Award) and has also won 13 different sportsmanship awards at various tournaments. Bruch is also involved with the USTA in charity programs for underprivileged kids in the Chicago area.
James has been ranked as high as No. 22 in the 18’s, nationally, and as high as 13th in 16’s. She is also ranked No.1 in the Mid-Atlantic region. One of her more impressive matches over the last year was a win over Wake Forest’s Katie Martzolf in straight sets. Martzolf competed primarily at No. 4 singles for Wake, who is still alive in the NCAA Tournament, and is ranked No. 94 nationally.
Stern was ranked as high as No. 14 in 16’s in the nation, as high as No. 40 in 18’s and is the No.3 player in Southern California. She won the prestigious Evelyn Houseman Sportsmanship Award from the USTA for her section this past year. She has been voted as the Santa Barbara Female Athlete of the Year for the past three years, and is a favorite to win the award for a fourth time this season. Stern has won numerous tournaments in Southern California and has represented her section in Junior Fed Cup for the past few years, being selected as one of the top players in her section.
-UVa-