Commitment Announcement
Fall Signing Week '09: Kimbell Continues On-and-Off Court Education at Georgia
by Joshua Rey, 13 November 2009
It was only fitting that, after bucking the odds as both a high school and junior tennis star, Lilly Kimbell chose college over the pros. That was a simple decision.
Deciding among
Florida State,
North Carolina,
Texas,
Illinois and
Georgia... now that took some thinking.
"It was hard to make any choice because I enjoyed the people and coaches so much at each campus," said Kimbell, who visited all five schools. "If anyone is considering going to any of them, they are making the right choice."
Ultimately, weather and wheels played a part in Kimbell's selection. The 5'7" right-hander, who left wet Washington for the blue skies of Texas at 14, will cross the country once more and enroll at the University of Georgia next fall.
"I felt like my tennis would really improve there," said Kimbell. "The coaches and teammates seemed so nice and the warm weather was also a feature. They have a really cool-sounding travel bus too."
Kimbell's road to Athens, Ga., should be a smooth one.
She and Emina Bektas have won four National doubles titles in 2009 alone, which will bode well on college courts where doubles action sets the tone at dual meets. And Kimbell's the ultimate team player, leading the New Braunfels High Unicorns to three consecutive team state titles while racking up three straight individual state titles in singles.
Oh, yeah. She's also the third-ranked player in the USTA Girls' 18s National Rankings.
