MOORHEAD, Minn. — Minnesota State University Moorhead women's tennis coach
Oliver Summers has announced the addition of five recruits for the 2017 season. Joining MSUM are Chessa Jones of East Grand Forks, Minn.; Alexis Konecne of Bemidji, Minn.; Danielle Unruh of Detroit Lakes, Minn.; Maia Wendel of Valley City, N.D.; and Emma Zamora of Colorado Springs, Colo.
The group joins Olivia Keelin of Bemidji, who signed with the Dragons in November.
Jones, the younger sister of current Dragon
Jessamy Jones, is a senior at East Grand Forks High School. She was a state qualifier in 2015 and placed second in singles at the section meet. In 2014 she placed sixth in the state in doubles after winning the section title. Playing at the No. 1 singles slot, Jones had a record of 58-34 over the past three years.
"I've known Chessa for a while and seen her have great success in high school both in singles and doubles and that's so important in college," Summers said. "She has a strong serve and a great forehand and I'm excited to work with her to help take her game to the next level. She's also an extremely strong student."
Konecne is a senior at Bemidji High School. She was a state consolation doubles champion in 2015 and was a two-time state participant in doubles. She had a high school record of 105-27 and is a two-time team captain.
"Alexis is one of Bemidji's best and brightest," Summers said. "She's had an awful lot of success in doubles and has great volleys. She has a lot of potential and the sky's the limit for her game. She'll fit into our squad really well and it won't take her long to adjust to college tennis."
Unruh was a three-time all-conference selection at Detroit Lakes, and a two-time team captain. She was the 2015 subsection champion and a Section 8AA qualifier in 2014. She had a record of 23-9 in 2015.
"I watched Dani win the sub-section at Courts Plus last year and was very impressed," Summers said. "She is very athletic, is smart with her shot selection and has come a long way without even playing tennis year round. Once she is here at MSUM, playing year round, I expect great things."
Wendel was a team MVP and team captain at Valley City High School. She was part of three straight state tournament teams and qualified for state individually in doubles last year.
"Maia has been a strong player for Valley City for a while now. You can always count on her giving 100 percent every time she steps on the court," Summers said. "She'll be another player who will really benefit from playing year round and will improve in leaps and bounds."
Zamora is a four-year letterwinner at Discovery Canyon High School in Colorado Springs. She had record of 24-6 and in 2014, qualified for state. She was a team MVP and an all-conference selection.
"I'm very pleased to be signing Emma," Summers said. "She has great strokes, a proven track record of winning, and a ton of potential still to realize. Emma is very driven on and off the court and will be a huge asset to our program."
