North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Tennis Welcomes Taylor Bridges to Program
11/15/2016 2:22:00 PM | Women's Tennis
NC State signs five-star recruit in early signing
RALEIGH, N.C. – Head coach Simon Earnshaw and the NC State women's tennis team are excited to announce the signing of Taylor Bridges, who will join the Wolfpack beginning in the 2017-2018 season.
The Chandler, Arizona, native, has been ranked as high as No. 30 in the 2017 recruiting class according to tennisrecruiting.net and is currently ranked No. 45 nationally and No. 2 in the state of Arizona. The five-star recruit has an 11-6 record against other five-star recruits this year and has beaten several Blue Chip recruits throughout the course of her junior tennis career.
"We have been working on our 2017 recruiting class for a long time and tracking Taylor since first being on the job here. A couple of things stood out to us about Taylor. Firstly, her pattern of play is very much consistent with what we look for in a player. She's got good size, moves well and looks to be very proactive off the forehand side. Secondly, I felt that the communication with both her and her parents was always very direct and honest which was very refreshing. I appreciated the candidness of their approach and always felt she would be a great fit with our program and the rest of the girls. That was confirmed as soon as we managed to get Taylor on campus and I think I speak for everyone that we are very proud and excited that Taylor is going to be joining the Wolfpack family. I see tremendous potential in Taylor's game and expect it to really take-off once she arrives on campus, if not sooner," said Earnshaw.
The Chandler, Arizona, native, has been ranked as high as No. 30 in the 2017 recruiting class according to tennisrecruiting.net and is currently ranked No. 45 nationally and No. 2 in the state of Arizona. The five-star recruit has an 11-6 record against other five-star recruits this year and has beaten several Blue Chip recruits throughout the course of her junior tennis career.
"We have been working on our 2017 recruiting class for a long time and tracking Taylor since first being on the job here. A couple of things stood out to us about Taylor. Firstly, her pattern of play is very much consistent with what we look for in a player. She's got good size, moves well and looks to be very proactive off the forehand side. Secondly, I felt that the communication with both her and her parents was always very direct and honest which was very refreshing. I appreciated the candidness of their approach and always felt she would be a great fit with our program and the rest of the girls. That was confirmed as soon as we managed to get Taylor on campus and I think I speak for everyone that we are very proud and excited that Taylor is going to be joining the Wolfpack family. I see tremendous potential in Taylor's game and expect it to really take-off once she arrives on campus, if not sooner," said Earnshaw.
She has competed in many domestic and international ITF juniors events. In singles, she was a finalist at the 2016 Wilson Tennis Canterbury ITF in New Zealand. In doubles, she won the 2016 Technifibre ITF Tennis Central Championships, was a doubles finalist at the 2016 USTA International Grass Court Championships and 2016 Wichita Falls ITF, and a doubles semifinalist at the 2016 ITF Grade 1 Coffee Bowl in Costa Rica.
"I chose NC State because I fell in love with campus -- the area is so beautiful. I felt like it was the perfect fit for me and I got along with all the girls on team really well. Gina and Simon are amazing and I believe they are the right coaches to help me develop and improve my game. I just knew on my visit that that's where I wanted to be, and that NC State was home," said Bridges.Bridges, the daughter of Steve and Emie Bridges, trains at Dent Tennis Academy in Keller, Texas.
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