LORETTO, PA. – Saint Francis University men's and women's tennis head coach Eric Hovan finalized his first signing class with six women's and four men's players ahead of the 2022-23 season.
 
"I am really excited about the class of 10 players that will be joining the Red Flash tennis program. All of them have had huge success on the scholastic level and at USTA/UTR Tournaments," saint Hovan. "As impressive as our incoming players have been on the court, they have been even more so through their academic achievements and character.  I am confident they will make an immediate impact on our team."
 
Kelly Dowuona
Dowuona is a 5-5 player from Brampton, Ontario, where she attended St. Marguertie d'Youville. She was a top-four finisher at nationals and was a Provicial finalist in her career. Dowuona was top-25 at Canadian juniors and played competitive ITF tournaments on the junior circuit.
 
"Kelly is an extremely talented left-handed player who has a great amount of junior success all over the world. She's had the benefit of her father as a teaching professional to help develop her game," said Hovan. "I love Kelly's positive attitude and work ethic. She is a tremendous athlete who has huge upside in her game. She should make an immediate impact on our team in both singles and doubles."
 
Caroline Grindle
Grindle is a 5-3 player from Carlisle, Pa., where she attended Trinity High School and played for Carlisle Court Crusher's club team. During her time at Trinity, she was a co-team captain. Grindle intends to major in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience at Saint Francis.
 
"Caroline was a standout player on a Trinity team that advanced in the PIAA AA Team State Championships. She is a really good athlete who is very active at the net," said Hovan. "In getting to know Caroline, I love her team first attitude and know she will bring a lot of energy and positivity to our team. She should compete for a doubles spot right away."
 
Samantha Quezada
Quezada is a 5-6 player from Riverside, Calif., where she attended Martin Luther King High School. She was a three-time All-League selection and went undefeated in league matches during her junior and senior year. Quezada started all-four years as a varsity singles player and won her league every year.
 
Her grandfather was a track and field member at UCLA in the high jump. Quezada is undecided on a major ahead of her arrival at Saint Francis.
 
"Samantha had a tremendous scholastic career and she played top singles. I have been impressed with Samantha's work ethic and dedication as she trains at a tennis academy daily," said Hovan. "This work ethic has carried over to the classroom where she has been equally as impressive. She is a good athlete and someone we are counting on to make an impact this coming season."
 
Sydney Tamondong
Tamondong is a 5-5 player from Santa Clara, Calif., where she played for Valencia High School. She was a 2021-22 CIF-SS California playoffs quarterfinalist, 2021 CIF-SS State Round of 16 finalist and 2021 League Champion in doubles. She carried an 85-5 singles and 39-3 doubles record in her career, which included a 33-1 single record during her All-League senior season.
 
The two-year team captain was a member of National Honor Society and was a four-year Scholar-Athlete – presented to students with at least a 3.70 GPA. Her brother Kieran is a member of Team USA for karate and completed for the USA at the Pan America and World Karate Championships. Tamondong intends to major in Engineering at Saint Francis.
 
"Sydney trains hard year-round on her speed, footwork, and fitness level. She is a solid player off the ground who has shown the ability to move forward to end points," said Hovan. "I am impressed with her movement and foot work. She has a great opportunity to contribute right away."
 
Jessie Thepsouvan
Thepsouvan is a 5-2 player from Murfreesboro, Tenn., where she attended Oakland High School. She carried a 28-8 record in her career, which included a 9-2 junior season. Thepsouvan was also a team captain during her time at Oakland.
 
The honors and distinction academic selection intends to major in business at Saint Francis.
 
"Jessie had a really good tennis career at Oakland she was the No. 1 player and one of the top players in her region. She has a strong baseline game and does a nice job of opening up the court," said Hovan. "Jessie has a tremendous spirt and passion for tennis and will be someone who will bring a lot of positive energy to the team.  She is very talented and someone who will really develop into a good player in the NEC."
 
Mallory Thomas
Thomas is a 5-11 player from Lancaster, Ohio, where she attended Lancaster High School. She was an All-OCC honorable mention, three-time team MVP and two-time central district qualifier. Thomas was also a two-time Lancaster Eagle Gazette Athlete of the Week and one-time Columbus Dispatch Athlete of the Week. She carried a 41-9 singles record during her final two seasons at Lancaster.
 
Thomas was a member of National Honor Society and made high honor roll during all-four years of her high school education. She intends to major in Biology at Saint Francis.
 
"Mallory has made some tremendous jumps as a player over the last couple years. She is a true student of the game and has a work ethic that has made her very successful on the court and in the classroom," said Hoven. "She has such a great attitude and will be someone that we count on to be a leader on our team. Mallory has great size and can develop into a really good player for us."
 
Adam Kush
Kush is a 6-1 player from Johnstown, Pa., where he attended Westmont Hilltop High School. He joins the Red Flash as a graduate student after he spent two seasons at NCAA Division II member Anderson University. He was an All-SAC Second Team Singles selection during his final season. He finished his career at Anderson with a 33-16 singles record.
 
Kush joins the Red Flash in his graduate years of education in pursuit of his Master of Business Administration.
 
"Adam had tremendous success on the collegiate level as a student-athlete at Anderson.  As a graduate transfer, we know that he will provide tremendous leadership to our team," said Hovan. "He will make an immediate impact in our lineup in both singles and doubles. Adam has the potential to be one of the top players in the NEC."
 
Brian "Patrick" Reese
Reese is a 6-2 player from Greensville, S.C., where he attended Saint Joseph's Catholic High School. He was an All-State, All-Regional and Regional Player of the Year selection after he was a two-time state runner up, two-time upper state champion and three-time regional champion. He was a team captain his junior and senior season and carried a 48-8 singles record during his final two seasons.
 
Reese was a member of National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society. He intends to major in Business Management during his time at Saint Francis.
 
"Patrick had a standout career at St Joseph's where he received All-State honors. We were really impressed with him on his visit to campus and knew he would be a great addition to our program," said Hovan. "Patrick is a really talented baseline player who moves really well for such a big guy. He has a chance to compete for meaningful playing time right away."
 
Gregory Troyan
Troyan is a 6-2 player from Los Angeles, where he played for Culver City High School. He was an Ocean League Champion and went 71-12 through his first three years of high school. Troyan intends to major in Healthcare Studies during his time at Saint Francis.
 
"Gregory had a solid junior career and has played against top level competition in California.  He has a really big power game that will be very effective on our indoor courts," said Hovan. "I love the passion that he has for tennis and being part of our team at Saint Francis. Gregory will be counted on to compete for starting spots in singles and doubles as a freshman."
 
Eli Wiblin
Wiblin is a 6-1 player from Columbus, Ohio, where he attended Jerome High School and played club for Vortex. He was a 2021 state doubles qualifier and First Team Ohio Capital Conference selection.
 
The honor roll student intends to major in Business upon his arrival to Saint Francis.
 
"Eli had a good high school career on the state level as a doubles player. He has a very aggressive attacking style of play that puts a great deal of pressure on his opponents," said Hovan. "I've been impressed with the spirt and passion he will bring to the court and our team.  I have no doubts that he can be a valuable contributor to our team."
 
The six women's and four men's newcomers will look to make an immediate impact for Saint Francis during the 2022-23 season. Schedule opponents, dates and times for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 season are to be determined.