University of Georgia Athletics
New Women's Tennis Players Arrive In Athens
August 17, 2006 | Women's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. --- The University of Georgia women’s tennis team welcomed five newcomers to campus as the fall semester opened here Wednesday.
Lara Fakhoury (Tampa Bay, Fla.), Yvette Hyndman (Bradenton, Fla.), Naoko Ueshima (Takarazukashi, Japan) and Adrienne Elsberry (Athens, Ga.) join the Bulldogs this season as freshman while Monika Dancevic comes in as a sophomore after spending her first season at the University of Miami (Fla.). Head coach Jeff Wallace enters his 22nd year at the helm, and he has led the Bulldogs to 20 straight NCAA Tournaments.
Fakhoury, who was born in Devon, England, has been training in Tampa, Fla. She has been ranked as high as 98th in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Rankings and 764th in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings,
Hyndman, who joins her older sister, All-Southeastern Conference standout Kelley, at Georgia, was one of the top prospects in the country last year. She has been ranked as high as 88th in singles in the ITF Juniors and 66th in doubles. Also, she had a career high ranking of 967th in the WTA.
Ueshima, who hails from Takarazukashi, Japan, has enjoyed success on the junior circuit in her home country. She advanced to the semifinals of the Japan Women’s Open and been ranked in the top four in Japan.
Elsberry, a High School All-American and Athens native, got a glimpse of collegiate competition this summer when she participated in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Collegiate Summer Circuit. She finished tied for third among players competing in the East section of the United States. Last month, she won the 2006 National Collegiate Clay Court Championships in Mt. Lebanon, Penn., defeating Vanderbilt sophomore Maggie Yahner in the final. While at Athens Academy, Elsberry was part of two state championship teams. She has been ranked as high as 40th in the USTA Girls 18s.
Dancevic, originally from Niagra Falls, Ontario, is a former top-ranked Canadian junior. She posted a 25-11 overall mark as the lone freshman for Miami (Fla.) last year. She helped the Hurricanes to a final ranking of No. 4 and their first appearance in the NCAA title match. Splitting time at the Nos. 2 and 3 slots, Dancevic finished the year ranked 82nd in the country by the ITA.
Georgia’s roster also features seniors Natalie Frazier, Darya Ivanov and Kelly Sandefer plus the lone junior in Hyndman. Frazier, a first team All-SEC selection, concluded the 2006 season as the highest-ranked Bulldog at number 28. She led the Bulldogs with a 27-12 singles record. Ivanov, a second team All-SEC selection, went 25-12 in singles and 27-6 in doubles with then senior Evgenia Subbotina. Recently, Sandefer earned ITA Scholar-Athlete Award honors for her outstanding work in the classroom. ITA Scholar-Athletes must be a varsity letter winner, have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) and be enrolled for at least two semesters. Hyndman played anywhere from No. 3 to No. 6 in the singles lineup last season going 18-12 overall and 14-9 in doubles.
The last time Georgia had sisters on the squad was 2001 with Christa and Lori Grey from Seminole, Fla. Former Georgia assistant coach Christa Grey lettered from 1998-2001 while Lori Grey lettered from 2000-03.
Georgia’s first tournament of the fall season will be the Ole Miss Invitational Sept. 15-17 in Oxford, Miss.
