Women's Tennis Announces Additions to Roster
November 17, 2006 | Women's Tennis
Nov. 17, 2006
LUBBOCK, Texas - With the fall tournament season in the books, Texas Tech women's tennis makes ready for its 2007 regular season with the addition of four new faces. Head coach Cari Groce announced the addition of three international players and one Lubbock local to the team.
The four new players on the court for the Lady Raiders will be Yaroslava Balakhonova from Nakhodka, Russia; Maria Jose Andres from San Luis Potosi, Mexico; Gozde Unkaya from Istanbul, Turkey; and Kelsy Garland from Lubbock. Of the four newcomers, Balakhonova and Andres are mid-year enrollees, and will be joining the team in January.
Balakhonova played tennis for her high school in Nakhodka, where she earned team honors as the Junior Primorsky Regional Champions and was apart of the runner-up team in the Adult Far East Region. She also was the International U18 Tournament Champion and Champion of the National Russian U14 Tournament in singles and doubles.
"I think Yaroslava is going to come in and contribute to the team," said Groce. "With my assistant coach Irina (Tereschenko) very knowledgeable on Russian tennis and the level of play there, we are very excited and ready for her to come in and play."
Andres comes to Tech after graduating for the Instituto Lomas del Real in San Luis Potosi, where she played tennis and soccer. In high school, she participated at the national tournament in singles every year, playing in three finals matches, two doubles championships, and placed first in the 18 and under division, which included the top 16 players in Mexico. She was ranked in the top three 18 and under tennis players in Mexico, and voted Athlete of the Year by her club.
"I am very happy to have Maria on the team. She was recruited by a number of schools, including the Big 12, and we are very excited to have her here," commented Groce. "A few of my former players at Washington State know her, and I believe she is going to be an outstanding player who will fit very well in our program."
Unkaya is the second women's player from Turkey to come to Tech and will join the team in fall of 2007. She was of the Turkish National Championship team, was singles and doubles champion for her age in Turkey, and is ranked as the number one amateur. She will graduate from Saint Benoit High School in Istanbul, and is related to two former Tech athletes Esat Tanik (2005) and Cigdem Duru (2006).
"We are very pleased with the signing of Gozde because she is a very good player and it shows through her results," said Groce. "Tech has a good history with players from Turkey and to have another come in and play is only going to prove beneficial. She is going to bring experience to the team and will be a great addition to our program."
The last of the four to join the squad will be Lubbock native Garland from Coronado High, who will also start in fall 2007. Her team was state champions in 2003 and team tennis regional finalists in 2004. She was a 5A doubles state finalist in 2005 and state champion in 2006. She also received All-District honors in singles and doubles competition throughout high school. Her parents, Greg and Michele, are Tech alumnus and are a big motivation for her choosing Tech. Coach Groce said Garland is the first athlete in program history from Lubbock to receive a full scholarship to play tennis at Tech.
"We're very excited to have Kelsy committed to join our team. She is an outstanding player in state of Texas and also in junior amateur competition," commented Groce. "We've been able to follow her over the years, and I am very impressed by her work ethic and determination. Her parents are very athletic, have a passion for game, and are very supportive of her. I think she is going to do great things for us here at Texas Tech. She is a long time coming, and is going to be an outstanding collegiate player."