Grizzly Tennis News
Men's tennis signs Spokane standout
by: Jeff Cincoski of UM Sports Information
Sunday, 5/9/2010
Updated: 5/28/2010 11:24 AM
The University of Montana men’s tennis team received a signed letter of intent last week from Spokane standout Ethan Vaughn. The Mead High senior is undefeated in Washington prep singles play this season and recently topped two-time Montana state champ and UM recruit Eric Braun at the competitive Inland Empire tournament in Cheney, Wash.
Vaughn’s May 1 win over Braun earned the Spokane native the tournament title for the boys no. 1 singles division.
In addition to recent individual success within the region, Vaughn has not lost a single set in 2010 prep competition. The senior has attended the Washington State high school championship for three years running, winning his 2009 regional final in the process.
In club competition, Vaughn has held a pacific-northwest USTA ranking as high as seventh. In the PNW regional championship, Vaughn climbed as high as the quarterfinals in 2008, and rolled into the semis in his 2009 effort.
As for his University of Montana aspirations, the student-athlete who owns a 3.97 GPA will be seeking a degree in history.
Of UM Vaughn said, “I loved the feel of Missoula, and how the college seemed to play a major role in the community. I guess that it just felt like a good college town.
“I liked Coach (Kris) Nord, and after spending some time with the guys on the team, it seems like the best fit for me.”
Regarding his newest recruit, Nord, who will begin his 29th season with the Grizzlies, said, “More than anything, I can describe Ethan as under the radar. He has a solid tennis history, and is a great student who has pursued some other sports in the past. “We’ve been watching this player for a while. He was initially brought to my attention by one of our former standouts, Jan Steenekamp. After meeting with Ethan, I can say that he will be a great addition to our team dynamic and is overall a great catch for the University of Montana. “We can expect Ethan to improve with every year that he plays for Montana. It’s not extremely common for a division one coach to be able to say that about a player, and it is exciting for the future of our program.” Vaughn said, “I have seen some pretty big improvements every year that I play. I worked pretty hard in the off-season, and can contribute some of my current success to that, though I haven’t played in many big tournaments up to this point.”Vaughn chose to don the Grizzly colors after discriminating between a short list of schools that included the likes of Montana State, Eastern Washington, Westmont and Point Loma.
