Wagner Named ITA SE Region Player to Watch
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Stephanie Wagner of the University of Miami women’s tennis team was announced Tuesday as the 2015 ITA Southeast Region Player to Watch.
The award honors the top returning players in their respective regions who have not won the regional championship. The recipients are automatically placed the pool to for ITA National Player to Watch selection.
“I think that with each year Steffi is showing improvement and moving forward. It’s a big accomplishment for her,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “[She has made a big jump] from where she started as a freshman to where she is now as a junior. I think going into the NCAA Championships, followed by her last year of competition at the Miami, this should just build her confidence and show her she is in fact one of the best players in the country and people are expecting great things from her next year.”
Already this season, Wagner was selected as a member of the First Team All-ACC and finished fourth overall in the voting. She is seeded No. 9-16 at the NCAA Singles Championships and thus has locked up ITA All-American honors. Wagner is ranked No. 11 in the country in singles and has been in the top 11 the entire season.
Additionally, Wagner is set to compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships along with senior Lina Lileikite. They check in at No. 17 nationally in the ITA’s doubles rankings.
Wagner has posted a 16-4 singles record in dual matches this season, including a 13-3 mark at the No. 1 position. She has 10 wins over nationally ranked opponents, including five in the top 75 and three in the top 35.
The Amberg, Germany native’s straight set victory over No. 10 Julia Jones of Ole Miss in the second round of the NCAA Team Championship clinched a 4-3 win for the Hurricanes and a 10th straight Sweet 16 berth.
Wagner has won seven consecutive singles matches and has also performed quite well at the top position in doubles, recording an 8-3 record at the No. 1 spot.
Against Southeast Region competition, Wagner has an unblemished record in 2015. She is 5-0 in singles play and 4-0 in doubles play against regional opponents.
Wagner and the 15th-seeded Hurricanes will face second-seeded North Carolina in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Team Championship Friday, May 15 at 10:00 ET in Waco, Texas.
To track the Hurricanes throughout the NCAA Championships, as well as learn more about University of Miami women’s tennis, follow @HurricaneTennis.
