Women's Tennis Inks Pair During Early Signing Period
11/12/2020 7:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Tom Lilly added Siri Kongara (Spring, Texas) and Valerie Negin (Centennial, Colorado) for the 2021 fall roster
Kongara will join the Bluejays from Spring, Texas. The four-star recruit is ranked No. 17 in the state of Texas, No. 20 in the Gulf States and No. 141 nationally, according to TennisRecruiting.net. She is enrolled in the Texas Connections Academy.
"We are so happy that Siri chose us over many schools," Lilly said. "Her game is growing very fast and she is a gamer that is out competing all the time. She continues to improve at a rapid pace and is someone that we feel has a lot of untapped potential and she is going to be great as a Bluejay. We have only heard great things about her as a person and student as well and can't wait to add her to our tennis family in the fall."
Kongara most recently competed at the DropShot Series 18k Women's Pro Tennis Open in Austin, Texas, which featured some of the top athletes in the state, including some from the collegiate ranks.
"I chose to attend Creighton University because it aligns well with my academic interest and gives me an opportunity to play competitive tennis," Kongara. "After many conversations with Coach Lilly and getting to talk with players on the team, I knew it was the right fit for me. I'm really looking forward to bonding with my future teammates and becoming a part of the Bluejay family!"
Negin, currently rated No. 2 in the state of Colorado by TennisRecruiting.net, earned the 2019 5A No. 1 singles championship during her sophomore season for the Smoky Hill High School program. Negin's championship led her to be named the 2019 Colorado Community Media South Metro Girls Tennis Player of the Year. A four-star recruit, Negin is ranked No. 3 in the Mountain region and No. 100 nationally by TennisRecruiting.net and owns a 9.13 Universal Tennis Rating.
"Valerie is a dynamic player who continues to have great results and is improving fast," Lilly said. "Her recent results put her more as a 9.5 UTR and her big, attacking game is going to be great for our team. Valerie is a tremendous person and has many sportsmanship awards to go with her championship trophies. We are very excited to have her join our team next fall and feel she will do very well here."
In addition to her success on the court, Negin participates in the International Baccalaureate academic program at Smoky Hill.
"I have played for myself for many years and I can't wait to play for a team and be part of a tennis family," Negin said. "I am so excited to become a Bluejay and can't thank all of the people around me enough for this opportunity to play college tennis. I look forward to pursuing my athletic and academic career at an amazing school like Creighton."
