Women's Tennis Adds Top Players to 2009-10 Roster
Thursday, July 9, 2009 | Women's Tennis
University of Florida women's tennis head coach Roland Thornqvist announced the addition of three more talented players to the Gators' 2009-10 team, increasing the total number of newcomers to four.
Joining Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.), the No. 2-listed recruit in the country who signed a National Letter of Intent during the fall, will be Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.), Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium) and Claire Bartlett (Chattanooga, Tenn.).
Will, who is a 2009 graduate of Keystone National High School, is listed as the No. 6 recruit in the nation by tennisrecruiting.net, the same internet site that sited Embree as the No. 2 overall recruit in the country in 2009.
Bartlett signed with Florida after beginning her collegiate career at the University of Virginia, where she played for one year. Bartlett was listed as a top-10 recruit in 2008 by tennisrecruiting.net, finishing with a No. 16 ranking in the final 2007 USTA Girls singles standings.
Hitimana, an extremely talented and powerful player, will be the first from Belgium to suit up for the Gators.
“I can very confidently say that this is the strongest class ever put together during my eight-plus years at Florida,” Thornqvist said. “Not only do we have accomplished tennis players with great skill, but more importantly, all have great character. With the continued leadership from (rising seniors) Anastasia (Revzina) and Marrit (Boonstra) and the addition of these four players, we have the making of a team that will compete heavily for the national championship.”
Will won the 25K doubles event in Waterloo, Canada, with Alexandra Mueller, held in June of 2009, where she also reached the quarterfinals of the singles draw after playing her way through qualifying. She reached the singles main draw of the 50K in Charlottesville, Va., in May of 2009, upending recent UCLA No. 1 singles player Riza Zalameda in qualifying action. Will advanced to the doubles quarterfinals of the 50K in Raleigh, N.C., in May 2009 with Melanie Oudin and reached the round of 16 at the 2008 G18 Orange Bowl, winning three rounds of qualifying to compete in the main draw. She also advanced to the doubles quarterfinals of the 50K in Lexington, Ky., in July 2008 with Lauren Albanese. Will compiled a 5-2 singles record at the 2008 USTA G18 National Championships held in Berkeley, Calif., where she won four consolation matches after splitting her first two in the main draw.
“She has a wealth of experience. What I really like about Allie is that she still has a lot of improvement that can be made in her game,” Thornqvist said. “She moves well for a tall player and has a very good serve, but can improve a lot offensively.”
Hitimana signed her National Letter of Intent and will begin playing with the Gators this fall. She received her high school diploma in June of 2008 from Cardinal Mercier in Waterloo, Belgium.
“Caroline is a very good athlete,” Thornqvist shared. “She has a good inside-out forehand and a world-class serve. She plays very smart on the court.”
Bartlett enrolled for UF's Summer B session and has sophomore eligibility beginning this fall. During the 2007 season, Bartlett compiled a 42-20 singles record on the Juniors circuit, as she ranked No. 16 in the final 2007 USTA Girls standings. She won the singles title at the 2007 USTA ITF CIRCUIT in ATLANTA and was runner-up at the 2007 US Jr. International Grass Court Championships. Bartlett reached the round of 16 at the 2007 Easter Bowl and was a semifinalist at the 2007 USTA National Open G18, while posting a 4-2 record at the 2007 G18 USTA Spring National Championships, advancing to the main draw of the round of 16.
“We initially recruited Claire and are familiar with her game,” Thornqvist said. “She loves to play tennis and is an extremely hard worker. She is very consistent and has a great variety to her game - she can slice, roll, come in, has great volleys. Her versatility is her biggest asset right now.
Embree, like Bartlett, enrolled at UF for the Summer B session that began on June 29. She ranked as high as No. 1 in the country in the USTA 14s, 16s and 18s divisions. The Lely High School graduate won a French Open wild card and competed on the clay in Roland Garros in May of 2009, where she made her WTA tournament debut.
2009-10 Florida Women's Tennis Newcomers
Claire Bartlett, 5-6, Sophomore, Chattanooga, Tenn./Univ. of Virginia
Lauren Embree, 5-5, Freshman, Marco Island, Fla. (Lely HS)
Caroline Hitimana, 5-7, Freshman, Waterloo, Belgium (Cardinal Mercier HS)
Allie Will, Freshman, Boca Raton, Fla. (Keystone National HS)
-UF-
