Zhang Signs With ECU Women's Tennis
March 02, 2009 | Women's Tennis
March 2, 2009
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Yilian Zhang, a two-time state finalist and 2007 Virginia Group AAA singles champion from Westfield High School, has signed a national letter-of-intent to attend and play tennis at East Carolina University beginning this fall according to an announcement from head women's tennis coach Tom Morris Monday.
Zhang completed her impressive run through the post-season bracket as a sophomore, collecting a sweep of the district, region and state titles while compiling an overall record of 24-0. A year earlier as a freshman, her improbable journey through the state tournament ended with a finals loss after earning Concorde District and Northern Region runner-up standings.
A two-time All-Met selection by the Washington Post, Zhang has also enjoyed success in United States Tennis Association (USTA) play. She currently is the top-ranked player in Virginia, while holding a No. 8 rating in the Mid-Atlantic Region. On the national level, she is listed among the top 100 in her age bracket, holding a rank as high as No. 79 in February, 2008. She was selected to participate on the '08 USTA National Team and qualified for six national championship events during the course of the season.
"We are certainly fortunate that someone of Yilian's caliber and experience has decided to continue her studies and tennis career at East Carolina," Morris said. "She has solid regional and national experience and I expect her to make an immediate impact on our program next year as a freshman. Yilian's addition will provide quality depth and potential to our team and I look forward to having her with us."
Since Morris has taken over the ECU women's tennis program in 1999, he has guided the Lady Pirates to 153 victories and successful campaigns in nine of his 10 years, which recently includes the top four single-season win totals in school history - a 17-9 mark in 2005, back-to-back school-record 19-9 and 19-10 finishes in 2006 and 2007, respectively, and a 17-6 ledger in 2008.
East Carolina has opened its 2009 spring schedule with a 5-2 record.
