The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Tennis Signs Three Zips to 2017-18 Roster
November 16 | Women's Tennis
Follow Akron Tennis on Facebook and Twitter
AKRON, Ohio — University of Akron women's tennis head coach Brandon Padgett announced on Wednesday, November 16, that Anna Uljanov, Miruna Vasilescu, and Madison Wolfe have signed National Letters of Intent to compete for UA. The three new Zips will be on scholarship with the program starting in the fall semester of 2017.
"I am extremely pleased with this year's recruiting class," Padgett said. "We have three exceptional players joining our program, but more importantly, I feel that we have three exceptional people joining our tennis family. With these additions, we will add a great deal of depth to our roster, which will make our entire line-up extremely difficult to defeat."
Uljanov intends to major in sport studies and comes to UA from Schweinfurt, Germany.
"I had a few other universities in mind, but I chose Akron because I played in a tennis club in Germany with one of the current UA tennis players, Sophia Geier," Anna said. "Sophia told me a lot of great things about The University of Akron and how happy she is to be attending school there. Also, Coach Padgett, contacted me quickly and expressed his interest in me which made my decision much easier."
"Anna comes to Akron with a big game, and some excellent German league results to back up her play," Padgett continued. "Her experience playing line one for her team adds priceless experience and preparation for the college game."
Vasilescu, who calls Baden-Württemberg, Germany home, won first place at the Krumbacher Hallen-Cup two weekends ago. A two-time national German Nike Junior Team (NJT) finalist, Vasilescu played club for TC Friedrichshafen where she only lost two matches at the No. 1 position.
"I have two friends from Germany on the team and after talking to them I can tell Akron has an enjoyable atmosphere," Miruna said. "The coach seems to be very understanding and has a modern vision about tennis. I also like how the university is near Cleveland, plus I am interested in studying Human Resource Management."
"Miruna adds an extremely aggressive style of play to our roster," Padgett stated. "Her results against some of the best players in Germany is what drew me to her. I am beyond excited to see how she handles the collegiate level, and feel that her attacking style will prove to be an amazing asset to her, and to our team."
Wolfe, a Monument, Colo. native, plays at Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, California. Most recently, she was a Creamistry Cerritos Jr. Open Singles Semi-Finalist and a Ventura Jr. Tournament Singles Champion.
"Madison is trending up right now with her game, which excites me greatly," Padgett concluded. "Over the past year she has added weapons to her game, which compliment her outstanding footwork and ability to grind out points. She will have an immediate impact on our line-up. Playing in the California junior tournaments against some of the best players in the country consistently will have her ready to go right away."
The squad begins the spring component of the 2016-17 season on Saturday, Jan. 14 with an 11 a.m. matchup at Northwestern. MAC schedule starts on Friday, March 24 on the road against Toledo (1 p.m.).
