July 17, 2008

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women's tennis team signed Paola Calderon, a native of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, to a National Letter of Intent announced by head coach Jody Bronson.

Calderon boasted high national rankings throughout her junior career as she earned the No. 1 ranking in the Caribbean in her age group twice (14s, 16s), and was ranked as high as No. 63 according to the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

According to tennisrecruiting.net, she is a four-star recruit, the No. 1 Puerto Rican recruit, and recognized as a top 100 recruit in the United States.

Most recently, Calderon was a finalist in a national open in Puerto Rico and defeated Jessica Roland, the former No. 1 singles player at Texas A&M and ranked No. 20 nationally, in the semifinals.

In February, Calderon helped Puerto Rico finish fourth in the Americas Zone Group 1 of the 2008 Fed Cup. In singles action, she found herself in the singles semifinals in El Salvador's Copa La Libertad, and finished in the round of 16 in the 2008 Costa Rica Bowl.

"Paola is a great competitor, she loves the game and will be able to contribute immediately," said Bronson. "Her hard work has paid off by defeating a former No. 1 player for Texas A&M, Jessica Roland."

In 2007, Calderon was ranked No. 2 in her age group by the Central America & Caribbean Tennis Confederation (COTECC). She also won first place in doubles at the Costa Rica Bowl and the Copa Mundo Maya in Guatemala. On the singles side, Calderon finished in the finals at the Copa Cariari in Costa Rica and won the Copa Mundo Maya.

Calderon was recognized as the Puerto Rico Tennis Association's 2007 Athlete of the Year, the Recreation and Sports Department 2007 Female Athlete of the Year, and the XI Olympic Awards Athlete of the Year.