MSU?s Lee Earns ITA Southern Region Player to Watch Honors
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After an impressive sophomore campaign that landed her a First Team, All-SEC selection, Mississippi State women’s tennis standout Jasmine Lee was named the ITA Southern Region Player to Watch on Tuesday, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced.
As a regional honoree, Lee will also be considered for ITA National Player to Watch, and award that will be released May 19 in conjunction with all ITA National Award announcements.
"Jasmine had an outstanding first year of college tennis and she is very deserving of this award.,” MSU coach Daryl Greenan said. “She has made a major impact on our team and I am sure she will contribute to our continued success during the next couple years."
Lee is currently ranked 23rd nationally in singles, the highest ranking for any MSU women’s player since Zsuzsanna Fodor finished the 2005 season ranked 23rd. She has put together a 16-7 record for the 2015 campaign, with six of those wins coming against ranked opponents (four in the top 50).
The Khaosiung, Taiwan, native has been a mainstay atop the MSU order, playing all of her contests at the top two positions. She was a big part of why State made its first NCAA appearance as a team this season since 2005.
The sophomore transfer made her debut on Jan. 31 against UAB and won 12 of her first 13 dual matches. She entered the ITA rankings on March 24 at No. 56 and has climbed throughout the latter half of the season. Of her six ranked wins, four have come against opponents ranked within the top 50, including a career-best win against then-No. 12 Julia Jones of Ole Miss on Apr. 11.
Lee’s impact has also been seen in doubles, where she has put together a 12-6 record, earning seven of those wins while paired with Bulldog junior Georgiana Patrasc. During the SEC Championship, she was paired with senior Naomi Tran, where the duo upset South Carolina’s 46th-ranked tandem of Meghan Blevins and Brigit Folland en route to MSU’s second round upset against the tournament host Gamecocks.
Due to her impressive play throughout the year, Lee earned an at-large selection to the 2015 NCAA Singles Championship, which will be held May 20-25 in Waco, Texas. Lee became the eighth player in MSU women’s tennis history to garner a selection to the singles field of 64.
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