Head Coach Davis Interview
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Tennis head coach Greg Davis announced four incoming players for the Lady Toppers' Class of 2021.
Sofia Blanco / Caracas, Venezuela
Rachel Hermanova / Czech Republic
Paola Cortez / Cochabamba, Bolivia / Kennesaw State
Taylor Shaw / Little Rock, Arkansas / Missouri State
"I wanted to put together a team that had more depth," Davis said. "Looking at the national title teams I've had, I felt like we had an opportunity to win and be successful at all nine positions – six singles, three doubles – and that was the goal with the group we've got coming in."
Sofia Blanco comes to The Hill from Caracas, Venezuela, where she was ranked the No. 1 player nationally. She is currently ranked No. 514 in the ITF (International Tennis Federation) and has an 8.60 UTR (Universal Tennis Rating). She competed in singles and doubles tournaments in Venezuela, as well as numerous countries throughout South and Central America. Blanco earned a GPA of 3.6 while studying at Mater Salvatoris. Her sister Carmen played at Ball State and Alabama, while her brother Carlos played collegiately at the University of Findlay.
Rachel Hermanova is originally from the Czech Republic, but spent the previous two years in Spain, training at the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy. Her biggest singles accomplishments at the ITF J5 level are a runner-up finish in El Salvador, as well as semifinal appearances in Panama and Costa Rica. She also recorded doubles runner-ups in Panama and the Canary Islands. Hermanova graduated from ES International School with a 3.54 GPA and plans to study journalism at WKU so that she can become a television anchor.
Paola Cortez will play her first year at WKU after transferring from Kennesaw State, where she played two seasons for the Owls. In doubles play, she boasts a career 7-11 record at the No. 1 position and a 2-2 mark at No. 2. She also gained experience competing at the No. 1, 2 and 3 singles spots. Originally from Cochabamba, Bolivia, Cortez ranked as high as No. 415 in the ITF while posting a 10.52 UTR. collected eight career singles and doubles titles in ITF junior action. She played for Bolivia in the WTA Fed Cup and won her singles match against Peru.
Taylor Shaw is an incoming transfer from Missouri State, where she played two seasons for the Bears. As a freshman in 2019-20, she combined for a 7-7 singles record in fall and spring competition. In dual matches, she recorded a 4-5 record playing at the No. 3 and 4 positions. As a sophomore in 2020-21, she continued to play at the same singles spots. Shaw grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was the No. 1 recruit in the state in 2019. She helped lead Little Rock Christian Academy to three conference championships. As a junior, she finished runner-up at state.
The four newcomers will join returning players Laura Bernardos, Alexis Cramer, Samantha Martinez and Cora-Lynn von Dungern to compose the 2021-22 team. WKU's fall competition schedule will be announced in the coming months.
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