SFA Tennis Adds Junior College Standout
11/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Nov. 15, 2011
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin women's tennis team added Colin College transfer Kristina Kinarkina to its roster announced head coach Patrick Sullivan Tuesday afternoon.
"We are very excited to add Kristina to our team," said Sullivan. "She is an impressive athlete and will be ready to contribute on court the day she gets to campus.
"I have always felt like evaluating talent is one of the easier parts of recruiting, but what is really much more complicated is evaluating character in the limited time that we have to interact with kids before they arrive on campus. In this case we have the unusual luxury of Stephanie (Wooten) having coached her for a year at Lee College and Laura (Servise) having played alongside her, so we know exactly what we're getting in all aspects," added Sullivan.
Currently the top player on the Colin College roster, Kinarkina transferred from Lee College where she guided the Rebels to a 2011 NJCAA runner-up finish. She finished that year ranked as the No. 6 player in the country, winning the NJCAA Flight 2 championships. Kinarkina also teamed with current New Mexico sophomore Alyssa Caffey to win the NJCAA doubles title.
The Russian-born Kinarkina went to high school in Canada where she competed in the Canadian U18 National Championships and advanced to the semifinals. She also advanced to the semifinals of the 2009 Casablanca Cup in Mexico City, which helped her earn a No. 747 ITF World Ranking.
The Ladyjacks have closed out the most successful fall campaign in school history, and will open the 2012 spring schedule Thursday, Jan. 12, against Florida International. The match is slated to begin at noon from Boca Raton, Fla.
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