University of Texas Rio Grande Valley announces Women's Tennis Signs All-American Kristal Dule for 2023-24
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis head coach West Nott announced on Tuesday the addition of NCAA Div. III All-American Kristal Dule to the roster for the 2023-24 season.
Dule comes to UTRGV after playing two seasons at North Carolina Wesleyan University, where she solidified herself as one of the most accomplished student-athletes in the school's history. The 5-7 junior from Pove Del Grappa, Italy made history in 2023 as she became the first NC Wesleyan women's tennis player to qualify for the NCAA Tournament as an individual and the first to earn a singles victory. Dule defeated Autumn Bruno from Wisconsin-Whitewater 6-2, 7-5 in the first round of the championship tournament and fell in a gutsy performance against Alisha Chulani from national champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (6) to finish as one of the 16 best players and earn the All-American title.
In two years at NC Wesleyan, Dule never lost a conference match. She was 9-0 at No. 1 singles and 6-0 at No. 1 doubles with Cristina Mendoza Romero last season, helping the team go undefeated to win the USA South Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships and advance to the national tournament. Dule was 18-6 overall in singles last year and boasted the second-best winning percentage in the conference with a clip of .737. She was a two-time All-Conference First Team honoree.
Dule rose as high as No. 7 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Div. III singles national rankings. Her highest universal tennis rating (UTR) has been 10.28. She was the runner-up at the 2021 ITA Fall South Regional and advanced to the ITA Cup. Dule played in the Billie Jean King Cup for Albania.
"What I love most about Kristal is how feisty and competitive she is on the court," Nott said. "She plays with a certain level of excitement and energy when the pressure is on. Kristal loves the game and she will be another strong addition to our team. Kristal comes with a lot of team experience. She has led her team to a conference championship and she has competed at the highest level of the game in the Billie Jean King Cup representing her country. She is an all-around player who is very athletic on the move."
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