Walker Signs Two for 2017 Class
11/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU women's tennis head coach Lee Taylor Walker announced the signing of two five-star recruits in Stevie Kennedy and Meredith Roberts to National Letters of Intent on Thursday as the duo become the first two members of the 2017 class.
"This is a big class with us graduating a core group of four seniors that have made some incredible accomplishments over their career," Walker said. "Filling their roles will be no easy task, but being able to sign Stevie and Meredith this week starts us off on the right track and gives us a lot of certainty and excitement about the future of our program.
"Stevie and Meredith both share three attributes we really like - a strong and supportive family that has a high ethical and character standard, a hunger and excitement to improve and get better through hard work and a love for doubles and team tennis. This is an excellent start to our 2017 class."
Stevie Kennedy - Bonita Springs, Fla.
High School/Juniors:
The No. 42 overall recruit in the 2017 class and the No. 8 recruit in the state of Florida … five-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net … has won 39 matches in junior competition … won the Girls' 18 Doubles at the USTA National Selection Tournament in Oct. 2016 … won two matches in singles at the 2016 USTA Girls' 18U National Championships … runner-up with partner Adriana Reami at the 67th USTA Florida "Bobby Curtis" Junior State Doubles Championships … advanced to the semi-finals in singles in two straight tournaments at the 2016 USTA Florida L4 Big Hitters and at the 2016 USTA Florida L5 Academic Sainchez-Casal
Walker on Kennedy:
"Stevie has spent a lot of time on clay and this has really developed her heavy ground game and ability to construct points. She's been well coached and has a professionalism on court that is attractive. I'm looking forward to developing her serve and forehand into bigger weapons and seeing just how good she can be."
Meredith Roberts - Jackson, Miss.
High School/Juniors:
The No. 36 overall recruit in the 2017 class and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Mississippi … five-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net … has won 38 matches in junior competition … advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Girls' 18U USTA Southern Clay Court Level 1A … won four matches at the 2016 USTA Girls' 18U National Clay Court Championships … made it to the consolation semi-finals at the 2016 Southern Closed BG18 Championships … had a quarterfinal appearance at the Southern Winter L1 Championships in Hilton Head, S.C. … made it to the main draw of the ITF $25K pro circuit event in Jackson, Miss., this past spring … helped lead Jackson Academy to the Mississippi North AAA Championship in 2014 .. represented Mississippi in the No. 1 position for the Southern Cup from 2012-16 … Clarion-Ledger Max Preps Player of the Year for tennis in 2015 … 2016 Dorothy Vest Female Player of the Year for Mississippi … MAIS three-time State Champion from 2013-15
Walker on Roberts:
"Meredith is a scrappy competitor with good hands and court awareness. She reminds us a lot of Caroline (Wegner) and we think she can use her speed and hands even more to her advantage. She's got a ton of untapped potential and is going to thrive being in a consistent training environment day after day after day."
