Women's Tennis Adds Medina and Soares in 2017-18 Class

Liberty Women's Tennis Head Coach Jeff Maren has announced the additions of transfers Maria Medina and Lara Soares for the 2017-18 academic year.

Medina (left) and Soares (right) will be joining the Liberty women's tennis program starting in the 2017-18 academic year.

Medina, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, will be transferring from State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. She holds a 10 Universal Tennis player rating (UTR) and has been ranked No. 1 in the country in both singles and doubles for most of her two years at State College of Florida.

Medina was ranked as high as No. 862 in singles on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) pro tour before attending State College.

"Time made me realize that there is no place like Liberty University," Medina stated. "I am excited about my commitment with such an exceptional school and can't wait to join the Liberty Flames family!"

Soares, a native of Sobradinho, Brazil, is currently finishing her second year at NCAA DII Southwest Baptist in Missouri. As a freshman, Soares played in the No. 1-3 singles flights, going 22-0. In doubles, Soares posted a 25-2 mark as a first-year player and helped lead SBU to a No. 12 national ranking.

"I am really excited to join the Liberty family. After visiting the university, I had no doubt about how this opportunity would be great for me," Soares said. "Liberty has an excellent program for student-athletes, and it also provides the best facilities. I believe coach Maren, coach Lemmi and all the girls will help me achieve my goals, and I will do my best to contribute to the success of our team!"

This year, Soares is currently 15-6 overall in the No. 1 slot in the lineup and is 20-2 at No. 1 doubles. The Southwest Baptist Bearcats currently sit at No. 16 in the NCAA DII rankings and will be playing in the national tournament, next week.

Soares was also ranked as high as No. 633 on the ITF World Junior circuit prior to attending Southwest Baptist.

"We are very excited to welcome Maria and Lara to our Flames family! They will bring a wealth of experience to our program and are both gifted with mental toughness, which will aid us in our pursuit of conference championships and national rankings," Maren stated.