Jan. 18, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Freshman Samantha Murray (Altrincham, England/Altrincham Grammar) has been named Big Ten Athlete of the Week for her performance at last week's National Collegiate Tennis Classic. The honor is the first of Murray's career and the first given out by the Big Ten this season.
Murray opened her 2007 singles season with an impressive 3-1 record. The England-native earned two wins against ranked opponents as the Wildcats traveled to California to compete at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic, often referred to as the "The Wimbledon of College Tennis." The three-day tournament featured players from top teams such as NU, Stanford, Texas, Baylor, USC, Georgia Tech and UCLA.
Murray advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Stanford's Leija Hodzic in three sets. The freshman then went on to defeat Georgia Tech's No. 25 Kirsten Flower 6-2, 6-3 and knocked off UCLA's No. 35 Riza Zalameda 7-6(5), 6-4 to advance to the semifinals where Murray fell to USC's top-seeded Lyndsey Nelson, the eventual champion of the singles draw.
"Sam looked impressive in her first outing against elite compeition of college tennis," head coach Claire Pollard said. "She played like a senior."
Murray is the 'Cats first Big Ten Player of the Week since Cristelle Grier received the honor on Apr. 26, 2006.
The 'Cats return to action Saturday when they travel to Florida State for the Four Team Tournament.