Nov. 27, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - University of North Carolina Women's Tennis Coach Brian Kalbas has signed two of the nation's top recruits to National Letter of Intents for the '06-'07 school year. Katrina Tsang from Raleigh, N.C. and Sanaz Marand from Katy, Texas will be next year's newest Tar Heels.

"I am extremely excited to have Sanaz and Katrina coming to Chapel Hill," Kalbas said. "They bring a wealth of international experience to our team. Getting a recruit from a talent rich state like Texas and someone as well known locally and nationally as Katrina makes a tremendous statement about our program. They will blend in well with our current team, giving us a bright future for years to come."

Marand, a blue-chip five star player, is the No. 14 ranked recruit in the nation according to tennisrecruiting.com. She won the Chanda Rubin ITF event in Atlanta (singles and doubles) and the doubles title at the ITF Chanda Rubin in Tulsa. She is currently ranked No. 178 in the ITF World Rankings. Marand was a member of the Texas team which won the Junior Fed Cup this past summer.

Tsang has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the south during her junior career. She has competed in Wimbledon, French Open and U.S. Open junior tournaments. In January 2004, Tsang advanced to the Doubles Quaterfinals at the Junior Australian Open. During the past year, Tsang has taken a break from competitive tennis due to injury.