Coin Defeated in NCAA Quarterfinals

May 26, 2005

Athens, GA-Clemson senior Julie Coin’s three-year run as one of the nation’s top women’s tennis players ended Thursday when she dropped a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 decision to Riza Zalameda of UCLA in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Women’s Tennis tournament in Athens, GA. The tournament is being held at The Dan McGill Courts at Feild Stadium on the University of Georgia campus.

Coin had defeated Taka Bertrand of Vanderbilt, Dianne Hollands of Arizona and Zerene Reyes of Florida, all in straight sets, to advance to the Final Eight of the event, but she could not defeat Zalameda, the unseeded UCLA player who was ranked 26th in the most recent collegiate singles rankings.

It was the second consecutive appearance in at least the NCAA Quarterfinals for Coin. She is the first Clemson women’s tennis player in history to reach at least the Final Eight twice in her career. In 2004, as a junior, she reached the Final Four of the singles tournament before losing to Amber Liu of Stanford. Only Gigi Fernandez, announced Thursday as a member of the Clemson Hall of Fame class of 2005, advanced further than Coin’s 2004 performance in the NCAA Tournament.

Coin concludes her senior year with a 38-5 singles record, the fifth most singles wins in a season in Clemson history. Her .883 winning percentage is seventh best in Clemson history for a single season. She had a 78-11 record in sets played this year and the .876 winning percentage is the best in Clemson history for a season.

The three-year starter from Amiens, France, finishes her career with 101 victories, tied for sixth best in Clemson history with Nicole Stafford (1985-88), who is already a member of the Clemson Hall of Fame. Coin was 101-20 for her three years in singles play and that .835 winning percentage is second best in Clemson history among Clemson tennis womens players who were on a team more than one year. Here 209-52 record in sets is a .801 set winning percentage, second best in Clemson history behind Susan Hill, another Clemson Hall of Fame women’s tennis player who played with the Tigers between 1977-81.