CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Director of tennis and head women's coach John Blackburn has announced the signing of Srishti Slaria to a National Letter of Intent, as she is set to join the Panther program during the upcoming 2015-16 season.
 
A native of Hyderabad, India, Srishti Slaria (pronounced sir-EESH-t sl-ARE-ee-uh) is a prep standout at the Army Public School of Bolarum, where she has earned multiple wins over opponents ranked among the top 600 players in the world junior ITF rankings.
 
"We are very excited to have Srishti join our team in August," said Blackburn, who recently earned OVC 'Women's Coach of the Year' honors this past spring.  "She already has some impressive results during her play in junior tennis, yet I'm confident she has the ability to improve during her time with our program and will make a strong addition to the team.
 
"She is also an excellent student along with being a strong player, which is a big part of our team culture," added Blackburn
 
Slaria recently was a quarter-finalist in the Under 18 Hard Nationals in India, after previously earning title honors in the Under 18 India Summer Championship Series in 2014.  She has also earned a ranking as high as #16 in the Under 18 Girls in India, while maintaining an excellent 3.8 GPA for her high school work.
 
The 2015 Panther women's squad recently finished an outstanding season as EIU went 13-7 overall and tied for fourth place in the Ohio Valley Conference ranks via a fine 7-3 mark.  Eastern also advanced to the league championship semifinals for the second time in three seasons.
 
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID