Bloomington, Ind. – Indiana senior Leslie Hureau sits at No. 50 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) first rankings of the 2012-13 season.  Hureau, a former All-American and three-time All-Big Ten honoree, will begin the final season of her already illustrious IU women's tennis career with the Adidas Hoosier Classic at the end of September.

 

A native of Annecy-le-Vieux, France, Hureau has made the most of her opportunities in Bloomington.  It began with her freshman season, where she was just one of 12 players in the country to be named a regional Rookie of the Year by the ITA and was also an All-Big Ten selection.  She ended the 2009-10 season with a 25-11 singles record and added 19 wins in doubles.

 

To end her sophomore campaign, Hureau had an improbable run to end the season to become the 25th All-American in IU women’s tennis history.  After another stellar regular season, where she again earned All-Big Ten distinction, Hureau was selected as an alternate for the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championship. 

 

In May of 2011, she arrived in Stanford, Calif., not knowing if she would get the opportunity to compete for a national title.  Shortly after her arrival, Hureau learned she would indeed get that opportunity and went on to make the most of it.  In her first round match, the No. 63-ranked Hureau outlasted No. 45 Brynn Boren of Tennessee in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5). Hureau faced a 5-3 deficit in the final set before winning three of the next four games to tie it at 6-6 to force a tiebreaker. In an exciting finish, Hureau won the tiebreaker by a 7-5 margin to earn a spot in the round of 32.

 

During second round action, Hureau dropped the first set again to begin the match. However, she did not let the setback faze her as she rallied in sets two and three to take down No. 33 Anouk Tigu of Arkansas, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The victory put Hureau in the Sweet 16 of the tournament, and with reaching that round, she earned All-America Honors in singles play. She became the first singles All-American for IU women's tennis since Deborah Edelman and Stephanie Reece each earned that honor in 1992.  Hureau’s season ended with a career-best 26 wins in singles.

 

In 2011-12, Hureau was again spectacular as a junior.  She garnered All-Big Ten honors for a third-straight year, to become the first IU tennis player since Rachel Epstein (1993, 1994, 1995) to earn all-conference laurels in three consecutive seasons.  Hureau ended the year with another season of at least 20 or more singles victories as she finished with a 20-11 record, knocking off four nationally-ranked opponents along the way.  Of those four, Hureau downed a top-10 opponent for the first time in her career when she defeated No. 10 Emina Bektas of Michigan, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

 

Beyond the tennis court, Hureau has excelled in the classroom.  She is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has also twice been named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, which is an award given to student-athletes with a minimum GPA of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year, excluding summer school.

 

"If you Google ‘student-athlete’, it would say Leslie Hureau at the top of the listing,” head coach Lin Loring said. “She has a very high GPA in the Kelley School of Business and is an All-Big Ten and All-American tennis player. Leslie is everything you want from a student-athlete. She is a very positive role model for all of her teammates and the entire athletic department."

 

What will 2012-13 have in store for Hureau and entire Indiana women’s tennis team?  Only time will tell.  But if history is any indication for Hureau, good things seem to be on the horizon.

 

Leslie Hureau

Senior • Annecy-le-Vieux, France

 

Freshman (2009-10)

Singles Record: 25-11

All-Big Ten selection

 

Sophomore (2010-11)

Singles Record: 26-11

All-Big Ten selection

All-American

 

Junior (2011-12)

Singles Record: 20-11

All-Big Ten selection

 

- IUHoosiers.com -