MIAMI (Feb. 7, 2017) – The 2017 recruiting class of the FIU women's tennis team has been ranked No. 25 in the nation by the Tennis Recruiting Network, the outlet announced on Monday.
 
Comprised of Ioana Minca, FIU's class is the only class comprised of just one athlete and is the only Conference USA school listed among the top 25.
 
Minca, a native of Pitesti, Romania, has been ranked as high as No. 22 in the ITF junior rankings (Aug. 2016) and is currently ranked No. 25 in the world. She is currently the top junior player in her home country and has a WTA ranking of 1,102. In 2016, Minca competed in all Junior Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and U.S. Open) reaching quarterfinals in singles play at Roland Garros. She also represented Romania in the European Junior Championships (both singles and team play). In December of 2015, Minca advanced to the round of 16 during the Metropolia Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship. Having played tennis since the age of seven, Minca has won over 100 singles matches and nearly 50 doubles contests in ITF juniors action during her career.
 
Minca is the highest-ranked player (junior circuit) ever signed by Coach Petrovic.
 
She will join the Panthers this upcoming fall.
     
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWTennis) for all the latest FIU women's tennis news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).

#####

About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.