June 14, 2001

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri tennis coach Blake Starkey announced Thursday the signing of Katerina Sevcikova (Sev-uh-ko-vuh). Sevcikova sat out last season while attending Bethune-Cookman College and will have four seasons of eligibility for the Tigers.

Sevcikova, from Prague in the Czech Republic, was a singles quarterfinalist and doubles champion in the Czech Republic National Tournament the past two years.

"I'm very excited Katerina will finally be with us. We had recruited her last summer along with Lucie (Ruskova)," said Starkey. "While Katerina did not play last season, she was projected to be B-CC's top player and Bethune-Cookman has won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title the past three seasons and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

"She's truly a powerful and athletic player, and could have excelled in any sport she wanted," continued Starkey. "Besides being a strong player, she's also a great kid with a great sense of humor and will do well in the classroom. I know she's excited about Missouri, and we are glad she'll be with us."

Sevcikova joins an incoming class of Lucie Ruskova (Prague, Czech Republic) and Mary Barry (Jackson, Miss.).

Missouri won a school-record 13 duals in the 2001 season.