Nov. 18, 2004

LOS ANGELES - UCLA women's tennis coach Stella Sampras Webster landed one of the top players in the nation Thursday, signing Ashley Joelson (Austin, TX) to a letter of intent beginning in the fall of 2005. Joelson, who trains at the John Newcombe Tennis Academy in New Braunfels, Texas, is currently the No. 1-ranked player in the USTA Girls' 18s Singles Rankings.

"We are extremely excited that Ashley has decided to be become a Bruin," said Sampras Webster. "She is definitely one of the top recruits in the country and we expect her to come in and make a difference right away."

Joelson won the Under-18 girls' singles title at the prestigious Easter Bowl Super National Tennis Championships this past April in Palm Springs, Calif. Most recently, she reached the round of 16 at the USTA Girls' National Championships in August. In 2003, she took third place at the Winter Super Nationals in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Joelson comes from a tennis family, as her father (Brian), mother (Teresa) and brother (Brett) all played tennis at Texas A&M. Brett is currently a sophomore with the Aggies.