Colorado State University Athletics
Messick signs quartet of 4-star tennis recruits
11/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State tennis team signed one of its best recruiting classes in school history Wednesday, inking four players to National Letters of Intent during the first day of the early signing period. All four are four-star recruits by TennisRecruiting.net.
“I’m really excited about this class,” head coach Jon Messick said. “If they work hard and continue to get better during their four years at CSU, they could be our best recruiting class and help us challenge for a Mountain West title.”
Messick said the things that drew him to these players were that they are great competitors, have a passion for tennis, wanted to be Rams and most importantly are great people. Additionally, all four are from CSU’s main recruiting areas of California, Texas and the upper Midwest.
Instrumental in signing a top-notch recruiting class was Jarod Camerota, that Rams’ first-ever full-time assistant coach, who was hired in July.
“Jarod helped tremendously in this process,” Messick said. “His work ethic in recruiting and ability to identify talent is top notch. He has made an immediate impact and has helped us to have one of the best mid-major recruiting classes in the country.”
Solene Crawley
Crawley will be a 2016 graduate of Heights High School in San Antonio, Texas. The team captain has earned all-state honors every year of her high school career, and is a three-time member of the San Antonio Express News All-Area Super Team. Crawley was once recognized by ESPN San Antonio as the High School Athlete of the Week.
In addition to her individual accomplishments, Crawley has helped the Mules to a pair of top-three team finishes at state, finishing second in Texas Class 4A in 2012 and third in 2013. Her high school coach was Larry Oxford. Away from the court, Crawley is a member of the National Honor Society. She has a brother, Liam, who plays tennis at Trinity University, and a sister, Fiona. Her parents are Ingrid and Peter Crawley.
Alyssa Grijalva
Raised in Compton, Calif., Grijalva will be a graduate of Redondo Union High School. She is a four-time first-team All-Bay League selection and three-time MVP. Under head coach Jessica Seibert, the Seahawks qualified for the CIF state tournament in 2015. Grijalva holds a career record of 188-21
She is the daughter of Araceli Easterling and Mauricio Grijalva, and has three brothers and two sisters.
Sandra Keta
Keta was raised in Westmont, Ill., and will be a 2016 graduate of Hinsdale Central High School. She won a doubles state championship in 2015 as a senior, and finished third place as a junior. That year, she also finished first in conference at No. 2 doubles. The Red Devils are three-time team state champions with Keta on the roster, including 2015 with her as captain.
Away from the court, she is a four-time scholar-athlete award winner and scholastic achievement award recipient. She played against current Ram Emily Kolbow in the USTA Midwest Tournament. Her high school coach was Scott Radecki. Keta is the daughter of Stojana and Mishel Keta. She has an older brother, Ivan.
Riley Reeves
A native of North Richland Hills, Texas, Reeves is a two-time USTA junior team tennis national champion and was the individual runner up at the 2014 5A Texas state tournament. She was named first-team all-district in singles and doubles twice each, and is a two-time district MVP (2012-13 and 2015-16). Reeves was her school’s first female to advance to state, going 47-1 as a junior in 2014-15. As a senior, she was her team’s captain. Reeves played along with 2015 signee Solene Crawley and against current junior Caroline Henderson. Her high school coach was Christopher Johnson.
Reeves is the daughter of Bobby and Stacey Reeves, and has a younger brother, Ryan. Her uncle, Cody Davis played football at Texas Tech and is currently a cornerback with the St. Louis Rams. Her dad is a tennis coach. Reeves is interested in studying business at CSU, with a focus in sports management.
