CLEMSON, S.C. – Ali Despain, a Blue Chip recruit and the No. 22-ranked player in the nation in the Girls’ Class of 2019 Seniors, has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Clemson women’s tennis team in the fall of 2019. In addition to being ranked 22nd nationally, Despain is listed at No. 7 in the Southeast region and is the No. 1 recruit in the state of South Carolina according to TennisRecruiting.net.
Despain is a native of Hilton Head Island, S.C. and a product of Smith-Stearns Tennis Academy. Her career high combined rating in the ITF Juniors rankings is 970, in July of 2017. Most recently, at the Orange Bowl in Plantation, Fla. in December of 2018, Despain won three qualifying singles matches in order to advance to the main draw, and then won her first-round match before falling in the second round.
Head Coach Nancy Harris on Ali Despain:“Our coaching staff and team are so excited to welcome Ali Despain to our Clemson Tennis Family. Ali is one of our nation’s best tennis players and has also brought great recognition to her native state of South Carolina in her junior tennis career. Her enthusiasm and competitive spirit, along with her family’s rich tradition of Clemson graduates, makes her a perfect match for our program. We are truly fortunate to have Ali starting this fall 2019 for the Tigers!”
