BATON ROUGE – – After recording numerous outstanding performances during the 2001 fall tennis season, LSU’s Tami Botts was rewarded on Tuesday, by being named the 87th-ranked singles player in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
“Tami worked extremely hard during the offseason and played some very good tennis during the fall,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “It is a great accomplishment for her to be nationally ranked and I know that it was one of her goals. Hopefully, she can use this as a starting point and move up even further in the rankings.”
Botts, LSU’s fourth-year starter from Ashland, Oregon, finished the 2001 fall season with a 5-3 record and as the champion of the UNLV Invitational. She notched three, straight-set victories on her way to the title at the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
After playing primarily the No. 4 and No. 5 positions for the Lady Tigers last season, Botts improved in nearly every facet of the game during the offseason and recorded a vital victory over 51st-ranked Jennifer Radman in the opening round of the SEC Fall Tournament. She also earned a 6-4, 6-2, win over UNLV’s Agnieszka Abram in fall competition.
The LSU women’s tennis team will begin in spring schedule on January 11, as the Lady Tigers head to Williamsburg, Va., to compete in the William and Mary Invitational.