Bellarmine women's tennis signs five for 2022-23 season
Bellarmine Women's Tennis Head Coach Brian Slack has announced his 2022-23 recruiting class, featuring five incoming freshmen from Mississippi, Arkansas, New Hampshire, West Virginia, and the Czech Republic.
The signees include: Lailaa Bashir of Jackson, Miss..; Shu Grosso of Merrimack, N.H.; Vendula Kryslova of Pilsen, Czech Republic; Hanley Riner of Huntington, W.V.; and Cydney Rogers of Jonesboro, Ark.
They join returners Rose Pastoret, Ekaterina Tikhonko, and Channing Varnum.
Here's a closer look at all five signees:
Lailaa Bashir
- Hometown – Jackson, Miss.
- High School – Jackson Academy
- Previous College – Xavier University of Louisiana
- Achievements
- 4x MAIS DI State Championship 2015-2019 (High School)
- XULA New Comer of the Year 2019-2020 (College)
- Second team All-Louisiana 2019-2020 (College)
- Louisiana Freshman of the Year 2019-2020 (College)
- UTR ITA National Player of the Week (Feb 24-March 1, 2020) (first ever recipient)
- ITA/NAIA First Team All-America (singles and doubles) 2019-2021
- Women's ITA Cup Winner 2019-2020 - doubles
- Women's ITA Cup Runner up 2020 - singles
- Defeated UCLA's 37th-ranked doubles team - Oracle ITA National Fall Championships 2019 in Newport Beach, CA
- Finished No.1 in doubles, No. 16 in singles NAIA (2020)
- Why Bellarmine? – "I chose Bellarmine because I believe the university has everything I need in place to be able to succeed: a very productive environment and people who not only want to succeed but helps those around them to do so. I've been looking forward to being on campus and am excited to be a part of the tennis family now!"
Shu Grosso
- Hometown – Merrimack, N.H.
- High School – Academy for Science and Design
- Achievements
- 2022 NHIAA Girls Singles Champion
- 3-Star Recruit
- #1 in New Hampshire according to tennisrecruiting.com
- Why Bellarmine? – "I chose Bellarmine because of the academic opportunities and the tennis team."
Vendula Kryslova
- Hometown – Pilsen, Czech Republic
- High School – Obchodni Akademie Plzeň (Translation: Business Academy Pilsen)
- Achievements
- 2014-2020 Top-10 Ranking in Czech Republic
- Top-100 Ranking in Tennis Europe
- Multiple time winner in singles and doubles tournaments in Czech Republic
- Why Bellarmine? – "Playing for a university in the United States was a dream of mine since 8th grade. Bellarmine was the perfect choice both academically and athletically after speaking with many schools."
Hanley Riner
- Hometown – Huntington, W.V.
- High School – Cabell Midland High School
- Achievements
- 2019 WVSSAC State Champion in No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles
- 2021 WVSSAC State Champion in No. 1 singles and runner-up in No. 1 doubles
- 2019, 2021, and 2022 WVSSAC All-State Team
- No. 1 Ranked USTA & tennisrecruiting.com female tennis player in West Virginia 2017-2020
- Why Bellarmine? – "The reason I chose Bellarmine was because I loved the welcoming atmosphere and people that made Bellarmine feel so special compared to all other places!"
- Hometown – Jonesboro, Ark.
- High School – Valley View High School
- Achievements
- 5A State Singles Champion as Freshman
- 4A State Singles Champion Sophomore and Senior Year
- 4A State Singles Runner-up Junior Year
- Four Time All-State and All Conference Recipient
- Three Time All Arkansas Max Preps
- National Honor Society and Suma Cum Laude Graduate
- Ranked No. 1 in Arkansas in each age division according to tennisrecruiting.com
- Why Bellarmine? – "When I started my college search, everyone always told me I would 'just know' and that 'it's a gut feeling'. After visits to multiple other schools, I just never got that feeling until I stepped on to the Bellarmine campus. Bellarmine was a perfect fit in every aspect including and not limited to tennis, education, and the environment. Everyone was so welcoming, and I am extremely excited to get to work with Coach Slack and the team. I know great things are to come in my time at Bellarmine!"
Original source can be found here.
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