Women's Tennis Signs The No. 1 Player In Florida

April 16, 2002

CORAL GABLES, Fla.-The University of Miami women’s tennis team signed the No. 1-ranked high school player in the state of Florida on Tuesday, as the Hurricanes added Gulliver Prep standout Melissa Applebaum to the roster for the 2002-2003 season.

Applebaum (Coral Gables, Fla.) is PaigeYaroshuk’s first signee since her promotion to head coach this season.

She is currently ranked among the top 10 in the nation.

“Melissa is an unbelievable competitor,” said Yaroshuk. “She will be a great asset to our program and has the ability to propel us into the top 10 in the country.”

She won the Easter Bowl doubles championship in April 2002.

She was a National K-Swiss singles finalist and a quarterfinalist in the pre-qualifying NASDAQ Tournament in 2002. In the NASDAQ tournament she recorded a victory over a professional player ranked No. 150 by the Women’s Tennis Association.

“We are very fortunate to have a player of this caliber join our team, she definitely has the capability to be a big-time college player,” added Yaroshuk.

She was also a quarterfinalist in the Orange Bowl in doubles in 2001.