Women's Tennis Signs Bolton to NLI
November 13, 2017 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA women's tennis and head coach Stella Sampras Webster announced the signing of top national recruit Elysia Bolton Monday. Bolton, who will be eligible to play in fall 2018, was born in Sydney, NSW, Australia and currently makes her home in Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
"We are really excited to have Elysia Bolton on our team next year," said Sampras Webster. "She was one of the most sought-after recruits by top-ranked schools and is a great athlete and tough competitor who fits in very well with our team and our program. On her visit, it was like she was already part of the teamโwhich is really great for our current team and for Elysia.
"On the court, she'll be a big impact in her first year. She'll come in and help us compete for a national championship, which is what we want to try to do every year."
Bolton, a Blue-Chip prospect according to TennisRecruting.net, is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation by the website. Nationally, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has the right-hander slotted at No. 13 in its Girls 18s doubles rankings, as well. In September, Bolton made a run to the quarterfinal round at the US Open Junior Tennis Championships in both the singles and doubles competitions.
In addition to her US Open appearance, Bolton reached the semifinals at the 2017 USTA International Spring Championships in Carson, Calif., where she defeated two Top-100 opponents en route to a narrow three-set defeat that left her just short of the final of the Girls 18s singles competition. Her junior career has also given her extensive international experience, taking her to tournaments at Wimbledon and Roland-Garros. Bolton has notably garnered doubles championships at the 49th Easter Bowl (2016) and 47th Banana Bowl (2017), as well as a singles title at Coral Gables ITF (Copa Badia) in 2016.
"Elysia's got a great work ethic and loves the game, which is really what we're looking forโplayers who will continue to love the game and want to play beyond college," Sampras Webster explained, "which I'm sure will keep her motivated to play during the summers."
Excited to welcome Elysia Bolton to the fold! Elysia, from Cold Spring Harbor, NY and Laurel Springs School, will join us in fall 2018. #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/b3ovgjjPKq
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) November 13, 2017
