The women's tennis recruiting rankings last spring contained some good news and some bad news for the Bears. The good news from the Tennis Recruiting Network is that Bruno has the 10th-best freshman class in the country. But strong classes at Princeton and Harvard, respectively ranked first and eighth, mean that both the newcomers and the veterans on Brown's team will face a tough conference season.
The five lauded freshmen come from different parts of the country, but the team's coaches said the players share strong personalities.
"The thing that ties all of our five players is their will," said Assistant Coach Cecily Dubusker.
The Tennis Recruiting Network gave five-star ratings to four of Brown's freshmen, the most received by any team in the country.
Florida native Casey Herzberg '12 is ranked No. 49 in the country among the new freshmen. With her two-handed forehand and backhand, Herzberg is a hard hitter with a "first-strike mentality," said Head Coach Paul Wardlaw.
Joining her is No. 60 Julie Flanzer '12, who brings from Illinois a competitive spirit along with her speed and aggressive groundstrokes, Wardlaw said.
Another five-star recruit is lefty Cate Stewart '12, an aggressive player who finished her high school career ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania and No. 76 in the country.
Also in the five-star club (but unranked overall) is Jenny Lee '12, a Massachusetts native whose athleticism rivals that of her brother, men's tennis player Chris Lee '09. One key for Lee will be the ability to stay healthy, as injuries prevented her from playing her senior year in high school and garnering a national recruiting rank.
The fifth member of the new class only received a three-star rating, but coaches consider Carey Aboubakare '12 of California to be of the same caliber as the rest of the freshmen. The younger sister of Bianca Aboubakare '11, last year's unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Carey Aboubakare did not receive as many points from the recruiting Web site because it does not factor in international or adult play.
Brown's coaches say the younger Aboubakare's strength is not just doubles (in which she and her older sister were ranked second in the country as juniors), but also her capacity to improve as a singles player.
"Carey has the potential to be the stronger of the two if she matures as a competitor," Wardlaw said.
Despite the stature of the new players, the team's coaches and older players know that the transition from junior to collegiate tennis is not seamless. Wardlaw said the level of play will surprise the freshmen, while Dubusker added that none of last year's members are looking to give up their spots.
Last year's team lost only one of its 11 members to graduation, Kelley Kirkpatrick '08, so this year's group will have 15 players vying for no more than 12 positions.
"We have upperclassmen that are not going to go down easily," Dubusker said.
While Flanzer and Stewart practiced on one court Tuesday afternoon, Brett Finkelstein '09 and Sara Mansur '09 played next to their new teammates. The seniors warned that it wouldn't be easy for the new kids in town to take the veterans' spots in the starting lineup.
"College tennis is completely different," Mansur said. "It takes a lot of maturity."
The newcomers might hit the ball hard, but Finkelstein said freshmen inevitably face an adjustment.
"The balls come back in college," she said.
Stewart said she didn't feel any pressure to match up against any of her senior teammates. Instead, she has a simple philosophy to keep herself focused on her play.
"I don't like losing," she said.
The coaches expect good-natured competition to be a positive for the team, especially since its conference rivals have beefed up, too. But Dubusker said she isn't overly concerned about the new Tigers or Crimson.
"We'll stack our class against either of their classes any day," she said.
Wardlaw said he's excited about the "credibility and legitimacy" Brown's program has gained after landing then-five-star prospect Bianca Aboubakare last year and a top-10 freshman class this fall. Wardlaw said he expects the team to compete for the conference championship and an NCAA bid.
And looking ahead to the class of 2013, Wardlaw said the team could gain "potentially a stronger class."
