Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Johnson City, Tenn. (May 28, 2002) — East Tennessee State University women's tennis coach Steve Brooks continued to build his strong recruiting class by signing Elena Volobueva (Krasnodar, Russia) to play for the Bucs in the 2002-03 season. Elena is a highly-rated junior player who at 15 was ranked No. 441 in the ITF World Junior Rankings. She has recent tournament wins over Svetlane Kuznetsova (currently ITF No. 2), Nina Bratchikova (No. 72) and Margarita Karnavichova (No. 107). She most recently trained under Pancho Alvarino at the Altur-Alvarino Club in Valencia, Spain. Many of today and tomorrow's professional players have trained under Alvarino. "I am so pleased to add Elena to my team next year," said Brooks. "She is a very explosive player that plays the way I like my players to play, she plays hard with no regrets. I am excited at the chance to help her reach the next level of her tennis ability. With the right attitude and work ethic, Elena can achieve great success both on the court and in the classroom. She has had some very good tournament wins and I look for her to bring that experience to ETSU." "I am very fortunate to be able to sign several quality players for next year," continued Brooks. "The additions of Elena, Sylwia (Ziolkowska) and Jewel (Aldea) will help us compete on a higher level next year. "