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Coach Macdonald Signs Three To National Letter of Intent 11/13/2003 Commitments for the Vanderbilt women’s tennis 2004 recruiting class Nashville, Tenn. — Vanderbilt women’s tennis head coach Geoff Macdonald announced the signing of three prep standouts to national letters of intent on Thursday, Nov. 13, the second day of the week-long signing period. Taka Bertrand (Great Falls, Va.), Caroline Ferrell (Blythewood, S.C.) and Amanda Taylor (Richland, Wash.) will join the Commodores for the 2004-05 school year. “This is a stellar group — all three are great tennis players and great students,” Macdonald said. “These women are very athletic players and fierce competitors. I look forward to getting to watch them grow as tennis players over the next four years; their potential is limitless.” Bertrand, a honor roll student at Langley High School, has been ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic region (Girls 18s). She has won a pair of national open titles in Hawaii (Girls 16s) and California (Girls 18s). Ferrell, the 2002 South Carolina Tennis Association Junior Player of the Year, will join fellow-Palmetto state native freshman Helene Stephens (Hilton Head) on the Commodore roster. Taylor has been the top-ranked player in the Northwest Section for the past four years. She is a three-time Washington state singles champion, and won a state doubles championship in Ohio four years ago. Signee Profile: Taka Bertrand Vanderbilt women’s tennis head coach Geoff Macdonald announced Thursday the signing of Great Falls, Va., native Taka Bertrand to a national letter of intent to join the Commodores for the fall 2004 semester. “Taka is an incredibly tough player and a gritty competitor,” Macdonald said. “Her game reminds me of a female Mats Wilander. She is technically sound and a very smart player. Taka is a great recruit for Vanderbilt, and I think that her toughness can help us win championships during her time in Nashville.” Bertrand competed for Langley High School in McLean, Va., during her freshman and sophomore years as the squad’s No. 1 player. She won the district championship both years before moving on from the high school ranks. Nationally, she earned a No. 6 ranking in Girls 16s, and is currently No. 59 in the nation in Girls 18s. The No.1 ranked player in the Mid-Atlantic region for Girls 18s, Bertrand also has earned a ranking from the ITF (International Tennis Federation) after advancing the quarterfinals of the 14th Mitsubishi Lancer in Manila, Philippines. Stateside, Bertrand won a pair of national open singles titles in Hawaii (Girls 16s) and California (Girls 18s) and reached the quarterfinals of the Hardcourt Championships (Girls 16s). She defeated the No. 1 seed at this year’s Kentucky International Junior Tennis Derby on her way to advancing to the round of 16 in Lexington. An honor roll student at Langley, Bertrand is considering pursuing a medical degree from Vanderbilt. She will be a welcome addition to the Commodores’ tennis team, which advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals a year ago and finished No. 13 in the nation. Signee Profile: Caroline Ferrell Vanderbilt women’s tennis head coach Geoff Macdonald announced Thursday the signing of Caroline Ferrell to a 2004-05 national letter of intent. The Blythewood, S.C., product will enroll at Vanderbilt and begin playing with the Commodores at the start of the fall 2004 semester. “Caroline is a superb athlete,” Macdonald said. “She is an accomplished player in both singles and doubles. I feel that she has a tremendous upside, along with a competitive all-court game. Caroline’s serve is one of the best that I have seen. I know that she is going to have a stellar career here at Vanderbilt.” Attending Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C., Ferrell has won three consecutive 4-A state singles championships (2000-02). She has played as the Blazers’ No. 1 since seventh grade, earning All-Region honors five times. In the past three years, Ferrell has lost only two of her 99 matches played. Ferrell was the 2003 recipient of the South Carolina Tennis Association’s Wilton McKinney Award, and was named the 2002 SCTA Junior Female Player of the Year. She finished fourth at the Girls 18s Southern Closed in Little Rock, Ark., this year. Ferrell was ranked as high as No. 2 in the Southern Section of Girls 16s, and is currently No. 6 in Girls 18s. At Ridgeview, Ferrell is ranked eighth academically in a class of approximately 450 students. She also was nominated for the Wendy’s High School Heisman award, given for excellence in academics, athletics and community service. She also earned the 2002 Girls 16s Southeastern Zonal Sportsmanship Award. One of three prep standouts in Vanderbilt’s 2004 recruiting class, Ferrell is expected to vie for one of the two spots being vacated on the Commodores’ roster by seniors Aleke Tsoubanos and Kelly Schmandt. Signee Profile: Amanda Taylor Vanderbilt women’s tennis head coach Geoff Macdonald announced the signing of Amanda Taylor (Richland, Wash.) to a national letter of intent Thursday to join the Commodores for the 2004-05 school year. “We are thrilled to sign Amanda Taylor,” Macdonald said. “She is a great competitor with a huge forehand and an excellent serve. We identified Amanda as one of the best players in the country and could not be more excited that she has chosen Vanderbilt. I know Amanda is going to help Vanderbilt compete for SEC and NCAA Championships.” Taylor is a four-time state champion tennis player, with three singles titles in the state of Washington and a doubles crown from her previous home of Chillicothe, Ohio, where she teamed up with sister Rachel. Taylor also displayed her doubles’ prowess with a third-place finish at the Super National Hardcourts and fourth-place finish at the Easter Bowl. In singles, Taylor has been ranked No. 1 in the Northwest Section for the past four years. She finished Girls 16s as the fifth-ranked player in the nation, and has been nationally ranked since age 12. Taylor won a national open singles championship in Girls 18s in 2002. An honors student at Richland, Taylor is active in her community. She finds time to tutor in the classroom, as well as to coach youth tennis. Taylor is following in the footsteps of her sisters, who both played collegiate tennis. Rachel plays at Abilene Christian, while newlywed Lori Wiliford graduated from Nashville’s David Lipscomb University. — VU — |
