Women's Tennis Signs Three Blue-Chip Talents
November 24, 2020 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ Three of the nation's top-ranked prospects have signed National Letters of Intent to attend UCLA, women's tennis head coach Stella Sampras Webster announced Tuesday. Ava Catanzarite (Pittsburgh, Pa. / The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School), Kimmi Hance (Torrance, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) and Elise Wagle (Niskayuna, N.Y. / Laurel Springs School) join the Class of 2025.
Each of the signees is rated as a Blue-Chip talent by TennisRecruiting.net, with Catanzarite and Wagle regarded as the top players in their respective states. Hance, the only local product of the trio, was chosen as the top high school player in the Southland at the conclusion of the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Ava Catanzarite, Pittsburgh, Pa. (The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School)
Also attended North Allegheny HS in Wexford, Pa. โฆ Blue-Chip recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net; reached high of No. 13 in 2020 โฆ ranked No. 1 in state of Pennsylvania, No. 3 in Middle Atlantic region by TennisRecruiting.net .. trained at Gomez Tennis Academy in Naples, Fla. โฆ swept ITF junior singles and doubles championships at J4 Kingston, J4 Nassau, J5 Le Diamant and J5 Saint-Francois tournaments in 2019 โฆ with partner Sasha Wood, seized doubles title at J3 Monterrey tournament in 2019; also captured ITF junior doubles crown with partner Gianna Pielet at J4 Delray Beach event in 2019 โฆ helped Tigers to Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Class AAA championships in 2017 โฆ reached final round at 2017 WPIAL Class AAA Singles Championship.
SAMPRAS WEBSTER ON CATANZARITE: "We love Ava's spirit and fight on the court and she is one of the top doubles players in the country. She works so hard and will be a great influence on all her teammates."
Kimmi Hance, Torrance, Calif. (Palos Verdes Peninsula HS)
Blue-Chip recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net; reached high of No. 5 in 2020 โฆ with partner Lauren Stein, captured doubles championship at J4 Irvine tournament in 2019; also collected ITF junior doubles title with partner Vivian Ovrootsky at J5 San Diego event in 2020 โฆ named SoCal Varsity Player of the Year by Southern California News Group in 2019 โฆ selected Daily Breeze Girls Tennis Player of the Year in 2018, 2019 โฆ Panthers captured CIF Southern Section Open Division crown in 2019 โฆ veteran of ITF women's tournaments, including singles quarterfinal-round trips at Williamsburg, Naples and Orlando in 2019 โฆ collected Bay League singles championships in 2017, 2018 โฆ PVPHS won Bay League team titles in 2017, 2019.
SAMPRAS WEBSTER ON HANCE: "We are really excited about Kimmi joining our team. We have known her for a while, as her brother Connor plays for the men's team, so keeping her in the Bruin family was key and we can't wait until she is on campus."
Elise Wagle, Niskayuna, N.Y. (Laurel Springs School)
Blue-Chip recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net; reached high of No. 15 in 2018 โฆ ranked No. 1 in state of New York, No. 4 in Middle Atlantic region by TennisRecruiting.net โฆ with partner Katja Wiersholm, won Girls' 16 doubles title at 2019 USTA Billie Jean King National Championships in San Diego โฆ with partner Carson Tanguilig, captured Girls' 16 doubles crown at 2018 Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships in Plantation, Fla. โฆ with partner Valencia Xu, took doubles title at 2018 USTA Girls' 16 National Clay Court Championships in Memphis โฆ won singles crown at 2017 USTA Girls' 14 National Clay Court Championships in Plantation, Fla. โฆ with Tanguilig, seized Girls' 12 doubles championship at 2016 Easter Bowl in Indian Wells, Calif.
SAMPRAS WEBSTER ON WAGLE: "Elise is someone we have had our eyes on for quite some time and we're thrilled to have her join the Bruins. She is a talented and competitive player that will fit right into our squad."
Starting off #NationalSigningDay with a big-time talent from the Steel City!
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) November 11, 2020
Can't wait to have you in Westwood, Ava ??????#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/sc3G5uxk6d
Kimmi Hance ??????
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) November 12, 2020
This decorated local product joins the Class of 2025 on #NationalSigningDay??#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/pb9s6wBFXW
NY ?? LA
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) November 14, 2020
We're excited to welcome another Blue-Chip talent from the East Coast, as Elise Wagle is official ????#NationalSigningDay | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/5dNwHZXcHM
