Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Four Newcomers Added to Bobcat Women’s Tennis Roster
8/26/2019 5:42:00 PM | Women's Tennis
JJ Chen of Adelaide, Australia, Daphne Haverkamp of Meppel, Netherlands, Caitlin Ward of Auckland, Nez Zealand and Mirte Van Baelen of Mol, Belgium will all be eligible to play for the Bobcats this season.
BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State women's tennis team has added four standouts to its 2019-20 roster, announced head coach Jon Reeves on Monday.
JJ Chen of Adelaide, Australia, Daphne Haverkamp of Meppel, Netherlands, Caitlin Ward of Auckland, Nez Zealand and Mirte Van Baelen of Mol, Belgium will all be eligible to play for the Bobcats this season.
"We have an incredible group of student-athletes coming in this year," Reeves said. "And, we have a strong core of returning players. The daily competition and team excitement will be raised with the addition of these talented student-athletes. They will have an immediate impact on the court and in the classroom. Academics are extremely important to each and they are very focused on success in the academic field."
The foursome will join returning players Laura Mary, Enni Zander, Linnea Fristam and Evi Buijsen to complete the Montana State roster.
Chen transferred to MSU after sitting out last season at Wyoming. Chen prepped at Marryatville High School where she represented her team in the Australian Schools Tennis Challenge on three occasions. She also represented South Australia at the U18 Pizzey Cup in Tasmania. Chen reached an Australian career-high ranking of No. 81 in the open women's division. Last season, she was an ITA scholar-athlete and was a member of Wyoming's ITA All-Academic team.
Haverkamp comes to MSU by way of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., where she competed as a freshman for the Colonels. She saw playing time at the No. 5 and 6 singles slots on the ladder. Haverkamp, who prepped at the Center for Sports and Education, posted her best ranking in The Netherlands at No. 95 in singles action and No. 58 in doubles play.
Ward spent the last two seasons at Western Carolina. She sat out last season with the Catamounts. As a freshman she recorded a 7-6 overall mark playing a No. 3 doubles and went 2-3 in singles action. Ward spent several years prior playing on the ITF junior circuit. She reached a career-best junior ITF ranking of No. 699 and has two national titles. Ward, who prepped at Saint Kentigern College, earned a first-place finish while representing Auckland in the New Zealand Secondary Schools championships.
Van Baelen was one of the top 100 players in Belgium ranking as high as 92nd overall. As a junior, she was listed as high as 18th in the country.
"The styles of Caitlin, Daphne, JJ and Mirte's play are diverse and they have a good knowledge of the game," Reeves said. "This team is going to push our coaching staff to use our experience and knowledge to pursue our teams' ultimate goals."
JJ Chen of Adelaide, Australia, Daphne Haverkamp of Meppel, Netherlands, Caitlin Ward of Auckland, Nez Zealand and Mirte Van Baelen of Mol, Belgium will all be eligible to play for the Bobcats this season.
"We have an incredible group of student-athletes coming in this year," Reeves said. "And, we have a strong core of returning players. The daily competition and team excitement will be raised with the addition of these talented student-athletes. They will have an immediate impact on the court and in the classroom. Academics are extremely important to each and they are very focused on success in the academic field."
The foursome will join returning players Laura Mary, Enni Zander, Linnea Fristam and Evi Buijsen to complete the Montana State roster.
Chen transferred to MSU after sitting out last season at Wyoming. Chen prepped at Marryatville High School where she represented her team in the Australian Schools Tennis Challenge on three occasions. She also represented South Australia at the U18 Pizzey Cup in Tasmania. Chen reached an Australian career-high ranking of No. 81 in the open women's division. Last season, she was an ITA scholar-athlete and was a member of Wyoming's ITA All-Academic team.
Haverkamp comes to MSU by way of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., where she competed as a freshman for the Colonels. She saw playing time at the No. 5 and 6 singles slots on the ladder. Haverkamp, who prepped at the Center for Sports and Education, posted her best ranking in The Netherlands at No. 95 in singles action and No. 58 in doubles play.
Ward spent the last two seasons at Western Carolina. She sat out last season with the Catamounts. As a freshman she recorded a 7-6 overall mark playing a No. 3 doubles and went 2-3 in singles action. Ward spent several years prior playing on the ITF junior circuit. She reached a career-best junior ITF ranking of No. 699 and has two national titles. Ward, who prepped at Saint Kentigern College, earned a first-place finish while representing Auckland in the New Zealand Secondary Schools championships.
Van Baelen was one of the top 100 players in Belgium ranking as high as 92nd overall. As a junior, she was listed as high as 18th in the country.
"The styles of Caitlin, Daphne, JJ and Mirte's play are diverse and they have a good knowledge of the game," Reeves said. "This team is going to push our coaching staff to use our experience and knowledge to pursue our teams' ultimate goals."
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