The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Tennis Inks Two in 2014 Signing Class
November 18 | Women's Tennis
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AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron women's tennis head coach Brandon Padgett announced on Monday that Sophia Geier and Miranda Rodriguez have each signed a national letter of intent to compete for the Zips. Both will be on scholarship with the program starting in the fall semester of 2014.
"I am extremely excited to have both Miranda and Sophia joining our tennis family," Padgett said. "With their experience and high level of play we expect them both to come in and have an immediate impact on our lineup. We are not only gaining two excellent tennis players, but we are also getting two exceptional young ladies."
Geier, whose resume includes a victory over the No. 31 player in the International Tennis Federation (ITF), comes to UA from Burgebrach, Germany.
"Sophia is friends with one of our current players, Caroline Harpaintner, and the consistent feedback that we received was always very positive, and her desire to come and help our program take the next step was crucial in our recruitment of her," Padgett said. "She has the type of mentality and sense of humor that we love, and we know that she will be an excellent fit for our team chemistry."
Geier boasts a career-high ITF ranking of No. 1,171 and played all of her ITF tournaments in Germany.
"Coach Padgett really went after me, and the information he gave me about training is what I was looking for," Geier said. "I know Caro (Caroline Harpaintner), and she said great things about Akron. The pictures of campus look great and I really like Coach Padgett's character, so I am sure that I will be in good hands."
Rodriguez, who calls San Luis Potosi, Mexico home, achieved an ITF career-best ranking of No. 451.
"Speaking with Miranda, I knew right away that she would be a great fit for our program," Padgett said. "Her personality, honesty and passion for the game were all important factors and standout traits. There is a genuine quality to Miranda that just stands out and we couldn't be happier to have her as a Zip."
Along with singles and doubles wins against players ranked inside the top 50 in the United States, Rodriguez also has several close loses to players ranked inside the U.S. top 10.
"Akron fits perfectly in the description of my dream university," she said.
After winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship and representing the league in the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2012, in 2013 the UA doubles team of seniors Angelina Jogasuria and Prang Pantusart was selected to compete in the NCAA Doubles Championship. The squad begins the spring component of the 2013-14 season on Jan. 16 at Robert Morris.
Players Mentioned
