Coleman quickly steps onto the national stage

Ella Coleman is ranked No. 4 in the country

Ella Coleman was playing high school tennis in Bentonville, Arkansas last year. A year later, she has quickly stepped onto the national stage in her freshman season at Rockhurst.

Coleman has won 11 of her 12 singles matches and become the No. 4 ranked singles player in NCAA Division II in the latest ITA Division II rankings. She has already achieved the highest national ranking for a Rockhurst player.

"I'm not thinking about being ranked and who I'm playing against," said Coleman, who finished around No. 70 in the nation in her class last year.

The 18-year-old Coleman started playing tennis when she was five years old and begin traveling to tournaments when she was eight or nine. She spent two years playing at a tennis academy in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before moving back to Bentonville to finish high school.

In her junior year, Coleman was leaning on attending the Naval Academy. She also visited West Point, Creighton, Missouri-Kansas City and Rockhurst. She selected Rockhurst in March of last year for several reasons.

"I really liked the small school aspect (at Rockhurst)," Coleman said. "When I met (Coach Jamie McDonald), I really liked his coaching style and the way he ran things. Kansas City is a great place and that was another big part of it."

Balancing her classes while traveling to tennis tournaments has been the biggest adjustment this year for Coleman, who is majoring in Exercise Science and getting a minor in Business Administration.

Coleman said she has an efficient backhand, likes going to the net and has a strong mental game. "I fight really hard and that makes the difference in the close matches. My goal is to just keep winning."

The Hawks take a 9-3 record into a match at 27th-ranked Northwest Missouri State on Friday afternoon.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Ella Coleman: 5' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ella Coleman
: 5' 6"; Freshman