STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific women's tennis team has added three new exciting additions for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
I'm very excited about the addition of these student-athletes to our program," said head coach
Mike Erwin. "Each has a level of experience that will allow them to come in and have an immediate impact. That combined with the depth and experience of our returners has us excited for what our squad will accomplish this season."
Liza Mladentseva joins the Tigers from Oakland University. The Samara, Russia native, was one of the best athletes for the Golden Grizzlies in 2023, with a team-high nine wins, all nine in the No. 1 position. With five doubles wins, the sophomore was one of the best two-way players on the team. In her first year, she led the team with a 10-6 record, playing primarily at the No. 1 and No. 2 position. Mladentseva also picked up eight wins in doubles at the No. 2 position. She was named All-Horizon League First Team and All-Horizon Freshman of the Year.
As a junior, she dominated before joining Oakland, winning the Samara Championship in 2017 and 2019. She won the Oreburg and Tolyatti Championships in 2018, the Volzhsky Championship in 2015 and the 2014 winner of the Tambov Championship. On the national stage, she was a part of the 2017 Championship of Russia team and the 2020 Samara Region Team.
After a successful prep career,
Indiya McLeod will be joining the Tigers from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. McLeod was part of the All School National Championship team, the Australian Tennis Merit team and the New South Wales Tennis Team Captain in 2022. The freshman also was a qualifying finalist in the 2022 Australian Juniors Open.
McLeod has an open ITF ranking of 1645 and a career-high ranking of 809 as an ITF Junior. She was the Tildesley Tennis Tournament Champion in 2020 and 2022 while being a finalist in 2021. She was named team captain for her prep team and will decide between majoring in Geological and Environmental Science or Health and Exercise Science.
The final player joining Pacific is
Leyanne Hirota, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii. The two-star recruit played her prep tennis at Punahou School, placing third in doubles in the 2022 Hawaii State Championship. Coming from a tennis powerhouse, the Punahou School has participated in the state championship for the past 18 years. In 2021, Hirota placed second in doubles in the Hawaii ILH High School Championships.
On the national stage, Hirota excelled, competing in the USTA Juniors in 2021 and 2020. She also competed in the Team Hawaii Pacific, Battle of the Sections, going 3-1 in doubles. This success helped her reach the UTSA National Doubles Championship in Orlando.
