Gonzalo Escobar Texas Tech “The General”. This All Big 12 senior was a top five junior in his native Ecuador. Last season, he finished the year ranked 25th in the country in singles and 41st in doubles with Victor Manzini. Escobar had a 29-16 overall singles record combined with a 3-13 overall record in doubles.

Escobar has a very powerful ground strokes off both sides. He is very exciting to watch in either singles or doubles. Escobar is very tenacious. If you want to beat this guy, you better pack a lunch because it could take a while.

Emily Fraser Virginia Emily comes from a tennis family. Her mother, Anne, was captain of the first women’s tennis team at Dartmouth. Emily was ranked as high as no. 23 nationally in girls 18’s, and was a finalist in both singles and doubles at the ITF Grass Court Championships, an international junior event.

The senior from Rye, New York has carried a career high NCAA ranking of no. 29 in singles and no. 10 in doubles. Last season, Emily recorded 30 wins in singles and 37 in doubles, and was named to the All-ACC team.

James Meredith Boise State The "Thunder from Down Under". Meredith hails from Christchurch New Zealand, where he was crowned the national tennis champion in the 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under and 18 and under - an unbelievably notable accomplishment from this 6’4” Bronco junior.

James has taken over the leadership of the team as the no. 1 player. He finished last season with an impressive 25 – 10, and was named the WAC Player of the Year for his remarkable efforts. James also received an automatic bid into the season ending NCAA singles championships.

Mary Anne Macfarlane Alabama Mary Anne is currently ranked 13th in the country as she begins her sophomore year. Impressive, but not unexpected considering that she was ranked 8th nationally as a junior, placed 3rd in the prestigious Easter Bowl, won three state singles championships and was named a High School All American!

In her 2011 freshman year, she was named first team all SEC, the ITA Southern Rookie of the Year, reached a national ranking of 15 and participated in the NCAA singles championships. She won 26 single matches for the Tide last year and is already off to another great year.

Raony Carvalho Texas Tech The former MVP of the Blue Gray, Carvalho is one of the top players in the country and an NCAA All American. He came to the Red Raiders as the No. 1 one ranked junior from Brazil. During his junior career, he was ranked number one in every age group - 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s. He was also the number one ranked junior from South America.

Carvalho simply hits the ball harder than anyone else, especially off the forehand side. He tends to be somewhat unexplainably inconsistent from match-to-match, but is capable of beating anyone in the country. Make sure you catch one of his matches.

Lacey Smyth Arizona Lacey is a sophomore from San Marcos, CA. She is currently ranked 105, but is quickly moving up the ranks. She has fought her way through the Wildcats’ line-up to take over the no. 1 spot.

As a freshman last year, she went 15-5 in singles play and won her first round in the NCAA singles championships. In high school, she was MVP of her tennis team all four years. She was ranked no. 1 in Southern California girl’s 18 and under. Lacey may be the smallest person on the team, but she hits the ball harder than anyone in college tennis.

Andy Mies Auburn Andy grew up on the banks of the Rhine in Niederkassel, Germany, so he should be right at home in our River Region! The junior started last season with a 14-match winning streak! Andy completed his sophomore season with a team-best 23-2 record in singles, including an impressive 7-2 in SEC play. He is currently ranked 18th in the country.

Andy has a very solid game with no apparent weaknesses. He will be a very tough out at the Blue Gray.

Jen Pfeifler Auburn The freshman from Gulf Breeze is making an immediate impact for the Tigers. She has been one of the most consistent players for Auburn during fall and spring play, making it to the quarterfinals at the USTA/ITA Regionals.

Before college, she was ranked among the top 20 players in the country. She won three national USTA mother/daughter tournaments. Jen was one of only three players in Florida High School history to win four-straight double titles; two were with Auburn teammate Jackie Kasler.

Louis Cant Mississippi State From the historic city of Bruges, Belgium, Cant is making his own history these days as one of the best players to ever suit up for the Bulldogs. The senior began last season with a 5-0 run, taking down all opponents in quick two-setters. He won all his matches at the Auburn Invitational, as well as the ITA Kickoff Weekend in College Station. In SEC play, he finished 9-2 through the season where he tallied an 8-match win streak from March 11-April 10.

Cant also excels in the classroom being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll as well as an ITA Scholar Athlete.

Shahzoda Hatamova SMU Shahzoda is a junior from Fergana, Uzbekistan. She joined the team when she was only 17. She struggled to adapt to American culture, but adapted by spending more hours in the library than any other student at SMU. She has always been a team leader with her hard work at practice.

Her commitment to athletic and academic excellence has paid off. She is one of the most successful players ever at SMU becoming the 2009 Conference USA Freshman of the Year, and currently holds a 47-18 record in singles. She carries a 3.7 GPA, while pursuing a major in Economics at the Cox School of Business.

Ricky Doverspike Alabama The 6'4" senior from Atlanta is an exciting all-court player. Doverspike comes from an athletic family - his father played football for North Alabama and his mother played tennis for Georgia. He was a highly recruited prep player, leading his high school to three state titles and earning two Titan awards as the best athlete in school.

Doverspike is a very vocal player which makes him a crowd favorite. He seems to love a good, close battle and is eminently not afraid to "mix-it-up" with his opponents. If you are a Jimmy Conners fan, you will like watching Doverspike.

Amy Allin Illinois Amy is the Fighting Illini's senior captain. Amy earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last year, and led the team with 23 single victories.

Amy is a tennis prodigy. Her grandfather is the legendary Tut Bartzen. Many of the older Blue Gray fans will remember coach Beartzen as the coach of TCU, a team that played the Blue Gray many years. Amy will have some big shoes to fill in order to match her grandfather college record of 50-0 in singles!

Mikelis Libietis Tennessee The Vols lost two great players last year to the pro circuit – the 2011 NCAA singles finalist and semi-finalist. However, the Vols quickly reloaded with another great one.

Although only a freshman, Mikelis, from Latvia, is expected to be the No. 1 player for the highly ranked Vols. In the fall, he opened his first college experience with an impressive 8-1 record.

As a junior, he achieved an ATP ranking of 624, winning one professional title on the Futures circuit. He reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the round of 32 at Wimbledon.

Hilary Bartlett Princeton Hilary is the senior captain and first team All-Ivy League in singles and doubles. Hilary was named the Ivy League Player of the Year for 2010, and has been ranked among the nation's elite in doubles.

Away from the tennis court, Hilary is a vivacious, bubbly individual. Often seen laughing and joking around with her teammates, she has a carefree mentality. But when she gears up for a match, Bartlett transforms into a serious competitor.

She is a naturally gifted ball striker and has the ability to put the ball away from anywhere on the court.

Yannick Maden Clemson Yannick is from Stuttgart, Germany where he was ranked among the country's top 100 players. He was runner-up at the German national 18 and under tournament. The junior, majoring in Economics, is expected to be the Tigers number one player this season. At no. 2 last season, he was second on the team in singles victories with a record of 14-6.

This past fall, he reached the round of 32 at the ITA All-American Championships, becoming the first Tiger in 20 years to reach the main draw. He is currently ranked 57th nationally.

Malika Rose Oklahoma State A top 25 recruit from Miramar, Florida, Rose has made an immediate impact on Cowgirl tennis in both singles and doubles. This fall she recorded a win over a top 400 WTA player at the Pro Tennis Classic in Kansas City.

She led the team last season with 22 singles wins and enters the spring ranked #32 nationally in doubles with partner Kanyapat Narattana. The duo reached at least the semifinals of every tournament they played this fall, including the ITA Central Region Championships.

Alex Stamchev Auburn The senior Stamchev was the top-ranked junior tennis player from his home country of Bulgaria. He comes off a very successful fall season achieving a ranking of 57th. Stam also fought his way into the semi-finals of the ITA All-American Championships.

Stamchev is as tough as they come. He simply never quits. If you are watching the first set of his match and leave thinking it's over if Stamchev is down 1-5, you will miss a great comeback.

Alexa Guarachi Alabama November 13, 2008 was a very exciting day for Alabama coach Jenny Mainz. That is the day she signed one of the most highly recruited players in the country – Alexa Guarachi. Alexa was ranked No. 10 in the country and No. 80 in the world as a junior. She was named the 2009 Florida Amateur Athlete of the Year.

In doubles, Alexa and her partner, Courtney McLane, are ranked in the top ten nationally. All Bama fans should come out to cheer for Alexa and show their appreciation for all she has accomplished.

Damian Hume Boise State Hume is a junior from Johannesburg, South Africa. He "tiptoes" to stand 5'7", but he has quickly captured Bronco Nation with his big game by being dubbed Damian "Huge." He comes to Boise State from Collin College in Texas as the most decorated junior college player in the country. He earned the title as the best JUCO tennis player in the nation by capturing the 2010 NJCAA Singles Title. Hume also helped his team win the NJCAA National Team Championship.

With his lighting fast speed, and competitive drive, look for Damian "Huge" to help lead the Broncos deep into this Blue Gray draw.

Venkat Iyer Cornell Venkat plays the no. 1 spot for the defending Ivy League champions. Last year’s team was loaded with senior players, but Cornell hopes to keep their momentum going with the number 3 ranked recruiting class in the country.

The team will be led by the sophomore Iyer, who will be joined by 5 freshman starters from that recruiting class.

This should be an interesting team to watch to see how this young team responds to the tough draw of the Blue Gray.