Christina Lee named NC women's tennis player of the year
Ryan Kelley | Contributing Writer
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Sports
The North Carolina tennis player of the year now resides at UNCW. Sophomore Christina Lee was honored as the J.S. Love Adult Female Tennis Player-of-the-Year by the North Carolina chapter of the United States Tennis Federation. This past Saturday, Lee formally accepted the award at the group's annual awards luncheon at the Pinehurst Resort. The award is presented to the top women's player in the state. Lee was the bright spot on a great team that finished last year finishing 19-3, and nationally ranked in the top 75 for the first time in school history.
"I was very excited when I received this award and honored to be recognized like this by the USTA," Lee said. Lee is coming off a 2008-2009 campaign where she finished 14-3 in singles matches.
There is no doubt that Lee put a lot of hard work in the off-season to reach this point. She spent much of the off-season at home in Charlotte, N.C. where she practiced with her junior tennis coach, Eric Abrams.
"I put in a lot of time on the court, working on my strokes and aggressiveness," said Lee. She also credited working with her two sisters who always wanted to play, which ultimately benefitted her as well.
Lee's award starts the season off in great fashion for the Seahawks who are trying to improve on last season by winning their first Colonial Athletic Association title. Senior Hartley Collins finished last season 13-2 in doubles matches and was an impact player for the Seahawks with her performance as a player and team leader.
"Christina brings so much to our team. Her work ethic is always raising the bar and pushing our team to work just as hard," said Collins. Lee's work in the off season really paid off and the work ethic spread throughout the team. Collins added that "the thing that impresses me the most about Christina so far this year is how much she has matured in her tennis game. In all of her matches she is always confident, poised, and will do anything it takes to win."
If there is one difficult aspect about being honored with such a great award it is trying to improve on such a great season. Lee stated her goals clearly. "For this upcoming season, my goal is to play a more aggressive game than I have had in the past, and to also work hard as a team in order to win our first CAA Championship."
Collins and Lee make up a team that is ready to win their first CAA championship. They are off to a 2 and 0 start and are more than on their way.
"I was very excited when I received this award and honored to be recognized like this by the USTA," Lee said. Lee is coming off a 2008-2009 campaign where she finished 14-3 in singles matches.
There is no doubt that Lee put a lot of hard work in the off-season to reach this point. She spent much of the off-season at home in Charlotte, N.C. where she practiced with her junior tennis coach, Eric Abrams.
"I put in a lot of time on the court, working on my strokes and aggressiveness," said Lee. She also credited working with her two sisters who always wanted to play, which ultimately benefitted her as well.
Lee's award starts the season off in great fashion for the Seahawks who are trying to improve on last season by winning their first Colonial Athletic Association title. Senior Hartley Collins finished last season 13-2 in doubles matches and was an impact player for the Seahawks with her performance as a player and team leader.
"Christina brings so much to our team. Her work ethic is always raising the bar and pushing our team to work just as hard," said Collins. Lee's work in the off season really paid off and the work ethic spread throughout the team. Collins added that "the thing that impresses me the most about Christina so far this year is how much she has matured in her tennis game. In all of her matches she is always confident, poised, and will do anything it takes to win."
If there is one difficult aspect about being honored with such a great award it is trying to improve on such a great season. Lee stated her goals clearly. "For this upcoming season, my goal is to play a more aggressive game than I have had in the past, and to also work hard as a team in order to win our first CAA Championship."
Collins and Lee make up a team that is ready to win their first CAA championship. They are off to a 2 and 0 start and are more than on their way.
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