May 13, 2003
UK freshman Nathalie Roels added another award to her collection on Tuesday, when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association named her the 2003 Southeast Region Rookie of the Year. The award is given to a freshman who not only plays well on the court, but also displays sportsmanship and makes a positive impression on the game of tennis. She also was named 2003 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year.
“This has been an amazing year,” Roels said. “I did not expect this my first year. I am very excited about this award, but I could not have done it without the help of my coaches and teammates. It is great to have their support and to have the team do well.
“Individual awards are awesome, but I want this team to do well in the tournament, especially for our seniors.”
Roels, a native of Affligem, Belgium, has had a remarkable season as a Wildcat. She burst onto the scene winning the first six matches of her collegiate career, including the B-Flight final of the Lady Seminole Classic. After finishing the fall season with an impressive 13-5 record, she opened the spring dual-match season ranked No. 48 by the ITA in singles. In dual-match play she currently has a record of 33-14, including a win over Miami’s Melissa Applebaum to send UK into the round of 16 at this year’s NCAA Tournament. She is ranked No. 65 in singles and was the first freshman in UK women’s tennis history to be selected to the individual draw of the NCAA Tournament.
Roels also is an accomplished doubles player who has had success with two different partners this season, posting an individual doubles record of 32-11. She opened the year playing with senior Sarah Witten and the two went on to post a 17-6 record including a win over top-ranked Sarah Riske and Aleke Tsoubanos of Vanderbilt in the finals of the June Stewart Fall Classic. The duo also reached the main draw of the ITA/Riviera All-American Championship and earned an at-large bid in the Omni Hotels/ITA Southeast Regional Indoor Championships. They were ranked as high as No. 5 in doubles. In February, Roels was paired with senior Shannon Stafford. The duo has posted a 15-5 record while holding down UK’s No. 3 doubles position.
The Cats open the NCAA Round of 16 when they play SEC-rival Georgia at 2 p.m. ET, on Thursday, May 15, at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, Fla.
