Nov. 18, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State men's tennis team will add a fresh face to the roster in 2010-11, as head coach Cris James announced that Mya Smith-Dennis will join the Redbirds next season as a freshman after signing a National Letter on Intent.
"Mya is a player who has a lot of potential," James said. "He is a tall and powerful player with raw talent."
Smith-Dennis is a Savage, Minn. native and a senior at Burnsville High School, where he has played No. 1 singles since his freshman year. He is the No. 3 recruit out of Minnesota and is a three-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net. This past summer, Smith-Dennis played in five national events sponsored by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), including the USTA 18U National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.
"He is the type of player that has the potential to take off when starts playing at the collegiate level," James said. "I think he will be fighting for a spot in the lineup very early."
The men's tennis team will graduate two seniors this spring, and six players will return for the Redbirds. Smith-Dennis is the first player to commit to the freshmen class of 2010-11.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, TRC gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
