7/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
July 10, 2014
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV women's tennis head coach Kevin Cory on Thursday announced the signing of Spanish standout Mercedes Lopez Velez.
Lopez Velez, 18, is from Madrid, Spain, and is currently ranked No. 34 in her home nation. She signed a National Letter of Intent and will begin her collegiate career in the fall semester.
"We are thrilled to have Mercedes joining our program," said Cory, who is the winningest coach in Mountain West Conference history. "We expect her to make an immediate impact in both singles and doubles. She has an all-court game and comes in with a very impressive national ranking. She is also a great student in the classroom."
Lopez Velez attended Colegio Nuestra Señora de Loreto in Madrid.
"We're very excited to add Mercedes to the Rebel family," UNLV assistant coach Lenoir Ramos said. "She's a great player with a lot of experience. We believe she'll be a great asset to our program. We look forward to helping her continue to grow as a player and person at UNLV."
Lopez Velez is joining a program that boasts a combined seven MW regular-season and tournament championships.
"I chose UNLV because it is one of the best universities at tennis, and in the future I would like to play professionally," she said. "UNLV also has a very good business program and I really like the location. I like what I see there and can't wait to be a part of the team. Go Rebels!"
