George Mason Director of Tennis Steve Curtis and the Patriots men's and women's tennis teams welcome eight newcomers for the 2016-17 season. The student-athletes hail from across the United States and Canada representing five states and two provinces.
On the men's side, associate head coach Jimmy Davis will have four incoming freshmen and one transfer to bolster a roster that lost three solid contributors to graduation, including second team all-conference player Aaron Capitel. Three freshmen will join the women's team which also had three graduate last season.
“Coach Davis and I are very excited about the incoming players for this season,” said Director of Tennis Steve Curtis. “Both the men's and the women's teams lost some key players but we feel we are bringing players to help keep Mason tennis moving forward within the A10.”
The Patriots women's team will open their 2016-17 season hosting the Mason Invitational Mock Dual on Saturday and Sunday, September 10-11. The men will begin competition at the University of Mary Washington Fall Kickoff Classic on September 17-18.
MEN'S TEAM
Edward Ayers, freshman, San Antonio, Tex. (Ronald Reagan High School)
Ayers played high school tennis in San Antonio at Ronald Reagan High School. He was named San Antonio Express-News Player of the year in 2014-15. As a sophomore, Ayers was the #2 singles player and was on the top doubles team that earned a Regional Qualifier. His doubles team was a state quarterfinalist. Ayers earned a career high Texas ranking in the Top 5 and National Ranking in the Top 120 for USTA Tennis.
Jakob Nielsen, freshman, Mississauga, ON (Appleby College)
Nielsen is a freshman from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He is ranked top 12 in Ontario and top 25 in Canada for Under 18. He is a gold medalist for Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario (CISAA) and Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA). He represented Ontario at The Canadian Junior National Championships. He was a semifinalist at the Canadian Junior ITF doubles tournament and obtained ITF Junior points at four others in singles. He was crowned doubles champion on the 2016 Mary Washington ITA Summer Circuit.
Alexis Pinsonneault, freshman, Mt. St. Hilaire, QC, (Champlain Regional College)
Incoming freshman Alexis Pinsonneault is from Quebec City in Canada. He earned top 20 in the U16 Canadian ranking. He was in the top 10 in Quebec for entire junior career. He excelled in the classroom as an honor student in French, English and history in high school at De Mortagne H.S. and Champlain Regional College.
Pally Ray, junior, Alpharetta, Ga. (John Creek H.S./University of Louisville)
The Patriots will add transfer Pally Ray to the roster. He posted 10-8 singles and 9-6 doubles records as a freshman for the University of Louisville. He has been ranked as high as No. 67 player nationally. His national success on the court includes reaching the round of 16 at the USTA B18-16 National Championships and finishing as runner-up in the United States Tennis Association Fall Southern Indoor Championships.
Isaiah Volk, freshman, Oak Park, Calif. (Laurel Springs School)
A native of Oak Park, California, Isaiah Volk is an incoming freshman from Laurel Springs School and Weil Tennis Academy. He earned a Top 20 ranking in Southern California and top 150 in the United States. He won 10 tournaments out of 17 finals in Southern California. He has competed at several national tournaments, including Winter Nationals, Easter Bowl, and the US National Clay Courts. He recorded a 5-0 singles and 4-1 doubles record and was crowned Champion of Zone Team National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.
WOMEN'S TEAM
Gabriela Arias, freshman, Glen Burnie, Md (Glen Burnie High School)
Arias is a local DMV product from Glen Burnie High School in Maryland. She was the top singles player for the Gophers. She reached the regional tournament in her first two years. She was a finalist at the Maryland State Junior Clay championships in 2013 and made the Semifinals of the Annapolis Junior Open 2015. She has played in several tournaments, including the Citi Open Wildcard Challenge and the 10k ITF at Sea Colony, Bethany Beach. She played Junior team tennis in the 18U advanced for Green Spring racquet club last summer where the team won states and advanced to sectionals.
Rachel Lee, freshman, Las Vegas, Nev. (Laurel Springs High School)
Lee is a native of Las Vegas and Laurel Springs High School. She Attended IMG Academy and has been ranked in the top 5 in Nevada. She won the USTA Sportsmanship Award in 2011 and the USTA Volunteer of the Year Award in 2014.
Liz Lowe, freshman, Atlanta, Ga. (Westlake High School)
Lowe earned four varsity letters at Westlake High School in Atlanta where her team won the Regional 6A Championships 3 straight years. She is a member of National Honors Society and National Science Honors Society. She earned a USTA Georgia Girls 18 ranking of 85 and USTA Southern Girls ranking of 185.
