Women's Tennis Lands Raven Neely
July 21, 2017 | Women's Tennis
Raven Neely was the 2017 MAC Freshman of the Year
The MAC Women's Tennis Freshman of the Year, Raven Neely, has transferred to the University of Louisville, according UofL head coach Mark Beckham.
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"I would like to welcome Raven Neely to the University of Louisville Women's Tennis program. Raven is going to be a great addition to the team. I waited until the middle of summer before finally getting in touch with Raven for our last spot on the team. I turned down 3 to 4 other good players before being contacted by Raven after her release from NIU. Â I wanted to feel 100% confident the last player I brought to the team could contribute right away and develop into a high level ACC player and Raven fit everything I was looking for." Said Beckham. "I have had a lot of success with players in the past that wanted to play at the highest level and prove that they are a really good player but just haven't had the opportunity to show it and Raven is another player with that attitude. Â All she wants to do is be surrounded by players and coaches that want to work to get better every day and play the best competition possible."
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Neely, native of Grosse Pointe, Mich., was Northern Illinois University's first-ever MAC Freshman of the Year, and was dominant at No. 2 singles. The daughter of Eastern Michigan men's basketball star Lorenzo Neely boasted a 10-2 record at that spot and a 17-5 overall record. She filled in at No. 1 singles posting a 5-1 mark. Neely was a two-time MAC Singles Player of the WeekÂ
Neely and her partner,  Adey Osabouhein also comprised NIU's No. 1 doubles team. The Huskie duo was 13-2 in doubles play and won seven of eight conference matches. They earned MAC Doubles Team of the Week honors three times this season.
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"The fact that she is a transfer from another Division I school really made it easy for me because she has already been through the grind of a college tennis season and has a good understanding of the pressure college tennis presents," said Beckham. "She just felt like she wanted to be a part of an elite conference and see where her game can really go. As exciting as it will be for her, it is equally exciting for me because she has a lot of untapped talent and I think she will improve pretty quickly once she gets here and becomes a part of our program."
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Prior to her career at NIU, Neely was climbed to 68th nationally and second in Michigan in the Babolat Recruiting rankings. In high school Neely was also First Team All-State, most valuable player in the Macomb Area Conference Red Division, was runner-up at No. 1 singles in the Division 1 state championship tournament and finished her senior year with a 29-2 record. According to the Tennis Recruiting Network, Neely was a four-star recruit ranked No. 71 nationally and was named Miss Tennis in Michigan for 2016.
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"She is a very good athlete and is extremely explosive with her game, players must react to what she's doing. She is comfortable in all parts of the court and already has a good understanding of how to play doubles which is very hard to find in a recruit," said Beckham. "She will have no trouble helping us in singles and doubles, it's just a matter of how much she will develop in her time here. She's very talented but also very humble which makes me think she is going to be a very good college/ACC player."
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Accomplishments:
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"I would like to welcome Raven Neely to the University of Louisville Women's Tennis program. Raven is going to be a great addition to the team. I waited until the middle of summer before finally getting in touch with Raven for our last spot on the team. I turned down 3 to 4 other good players before being contacted by Raven after her release from NIU. Â I wanted to feel 100% confident the last player I brought to the team could contribute right away and develop into a high level ACC player and Raven fit everything I was looking for." Said Beckham. "I have had a lot of success with players in the past that wanted to play at the highest level and prove that they are a really good player but just haven't had the opportunity to show it and Raven is another player with that attitude. Â All she wants to do is be surrounded by players and coaches that want to work to get better every day and play the best competition possible."
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Neely, native of Grosse Pointe, Mich., was Northern Illinois University's first-ever MAC Freshman of the Year, and was dominant at No. 2 singles. The daughter of Eastern Michigan men's basketball star Lorenzo Neely boasted a 10-2 record at that spot and a 17-5 overall record. She filled in at No. 1 singles posting a 5-1 mark. Neely was a two-time MAC Singles Player of the WeekÂ
Neely and her partner,  Adey Osabouhein also comprised NIU's No. 1 doubles team. The Huskie duo was 13-2 in doubles play and won seven of eight conference matches. They earned MAC Doubles Team of the Week honors three times this season.
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"The fact that she is a transfer from another Division I school really made it easy for me because she has already been through the grind of a college tennis season and has a good understanding of the pressure college tennis presents," said Beckham. "She just felt like she wanted to be a part of an elite conference and see where her game can really go. As exciting as it will be for her, it is equally exciting for me because she has a lot of untapped talent and I think she will improve pretty quickly once she gets here and becomes a part of our program."
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Prior to her career at NIU, Neely was climbed to 68th nationally and second in Michigan in the Babolat Recruiting rankings. In high school Neely was also First Team All-State, most valuable player in the Macomb Area Conference Red Division, was runner-up at No. 1 singles in the Division 1 state championship tournament and finished her senior year with a 29-2 record. According to the Tennis Recruiting Network, Neely was a four-star recruit ranked No. 71 nationally and was named Miss Tennis in Michigan for 2016.
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"She is a very good athlete and is extremely explosive with her game, players must react to what she's doing. She is comfortable in all parts of the court and already has a good understanding of how to play doubles which is very hard to find in a recruit," said Beckham. "She will have no trouble helping us in singles and doubles, it's just a matter of how much she will develop in her time here. She's very talented but also very humble which makes me think she is going to be a very good college/ACC player."
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Accomplishments:
- MAC Freshman of the Year
- MAC 1st Team Singles and Doubles
- Earned MAC Player of the Week twice
- Earned MAC Doubles Player of the Week four times
- Named Miss Tennis in Michigan for 2016
Women's Tennis Spring Sports Media Days - 1/17/2023
Tuesday, January 24
WTEN: 3/14/21 Mark Beckham Post Match Press Conference
Sunday, March 14
WTEN: 3/12/21 Mark Beckham Post Match Press Conference
Friday, March 12
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Sunday, February 21
