EDWARDSVILLE - SIUE women's tennis Head Coach Nick Mueller announced the signing of Lara Tupper, who will be joining the Cougar family this semester.

Tupper is a native of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and at only age 17 already has a great number of achievements under her belt.

Get The Latest News!

Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.

"Lara is a great addition to our program," Mueller said.  "She has competed at a very high level for most of her life.  Lara will have an immediate impact on our team for this spring semester."

Before graduating from St Hildas at the end of last year, she played an integral role in becoming the first team to win the school state championships and was the first team from her area to compete at the school national championships.

Article continues after sponsor message

Playing tennis since she was 10 years old, Tupper started competing in open tournaments three years ago. Since that day, her career highlights include winning the 2015 Casino Open and placing as a semi-finalist in the Solinco Tour Beenleigh Open and the Sawtell Open Doubles in 2016. Prior to competing at the Open level, Tupper also took first place at the 2014 Gold Tournament in Kawana and the Solinco Series in the 14/Under Division.

She currently is ranked third in the state of Queensland and 16th overall in Australia for her age group.

"We are excited for Lara's first semester at SIUE, and we know she will fit in great with the team," Mueller added.

The Cougars will be back in action on Sunday as they begin their indoor season at Drake.