HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Lenoir-Rhyne University has signed a trio of international tennis players for the upcoming seasons.
Sanne Janssen and Lucy Whelan will be on the women’s roster and Rory Murchland will play for the LRU men, Bears head coach Tom Rees announced Monday in a press release. He coaches both LRU teams.
Janssen, from Maastricht in the Netherlands, is ranked in the top 60 in the women’s national doubles and the top 160 in the women’s national singles.
“Sanne (Janssen) brings a great work ethic and desire to improve with her to Lenoir-Rhyne,” Rees said in the press release. “She is an accomplished doubles player and we will look to her to have an immediate impact in our singles lineup too.
“Sanne has proven to be a great team player, and I know she will help propel our ladies to the next level.”
Whelan, from Aberdeen, Scotland, is the third-ranked junior in Scotland and the second-ranked junior in the North of Scotland. She qualified for the HSBC Road to Wimbledon Finals three times, playing them all at Wimbledon.
“Lucy brings a strong pedigree to Lenoir-Rhyne,” Rees said in the press release. “Lucy knows how to win and has a wide range of experience at the national level competing excellently as both an individual and as part of her country team.
“Lucy is another player we expect to have immediate impact in both singles and doubles this year.”
Murchland, from Mount Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand, played No. 1 for his high school team for three years and represented his district for tennis on multiple occasions. He also reached the semifinals of the New Zealand National Doubles Tournament.
“We are pleased to welcome Rory to Lenoir-Rhyne as he joins his sister – Emily (women’s team) – and junior teammate William Hewett (men’s team),” said Rees in the press release. “Rory possesses a diverse skill set that will be able to cause opponents problems in singles and he enjoys coming forward allowing him to play well in doubles also.
“He has a high ceiling and we look forward to helping him achieve his potential at Lenoir-Rhyne.”
LRU’s women finished 9-12 overall and 3-8 in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) last season while the men were 11-10 overall and 4-7 in the SAC.