Cerritos College sophomore tennis player Samantha Judan, who reached the semifinals of the CCCAA State Championships in singles, has signed a National Letter of Intent with Cal State Northridge. Judan, who finished the season with a 16-8 record in singles play, was ranked #5 in the state at the conclusion of the year. The Division I signing by Judan is the first for the Falcons in almost 20 years.

"I'm really excited to be moving on to the next level," said Judan, who will major in Kinesiology. "Playing at Cerritos the last two years has taught me so much. I'm so much more experienced and knowledgeable about the game and about my game. My game and my approach has changed so much from my freshman to sophomore year and I'm so very grateful to the coaching staff who worked with me and guided me along the way."

In her freshman year, Judan reached the Round of 16 at the Southern California Championships and posted an 18-7 record. She competed in the USTA/ITA Southern California Championships in the off-season and won the tournament, which qualified her for the USTA/ITA Small College Championships. The experience playing against talent from different parts of the country allowed her to fine-tune her game, which carried over into her sophomore year.

"Playing in that tournament taught me to be more patient and I learned how much I wanted to win and gave me the confidence to fight back when I fell behind in a match," added Judan. "It also taught me to calm down when I fell behind and regroup."

In post-season play, Judan found herslef down a set several times, but composed herself and came back to move through the state championships. She was able to fight back in the semi-finals after losing the first set, but saw her season come to a close with a three-set loss.

Judan will carry that new-found knowledge and confidence to Cal State Northridge, where they are losing two players to graduation. "The coaches (at Northridge) said that I will have a chance to earn a spot in the starting lineup, which is all that I can ask for," said Judan.

Photos

Photos by Daryl Peterson