April 24, 2007

BEAUMONT - Salina Aranda of Kirbyville High School signed a national letter-of-intent to continue her education and play women's tennis at Lamar University, announced head coach David Wong Tuesday afternoon.

Aranda, who played four years of varsity tennis for Kirbyville, amassed a 124-4 singles record and a 20-0 doubles record. She is a two-time regional singles champion, winning in 2006 and 2007, and a four-time regional qualifier. She also dominated in district play, winning four straight district championships.

She holds a national ranking of 293 by the Tennis Recruiting Network National Rankings, is ranked No. 30 in the Gulf States region and No. 24 in Texas. In addition to her career at Kirbyville, Aranda has played for the John Newcomb Tennis Academy.

"Salina is the best player in the area, and I think she'll be a great addition to the team," Wong said. "She is a solid player that will probably play in the middle of the line up, which is going to add a lot of depth to our team. We're really happy to have her."