ITHACA, N.Y. — After losing no one off its roster to graduation, an air of excitement surrounds the women's tennis program as it welcomes a nationally recognized group of newcomers for the 2012-13 season.
 
Mike Stevens, who will return for his third season as the Carl H. Meinig '31 Head Coach of Women's Tennis, announced Monday that Laila Judeh, Christy Kung and Dena Tanenbaum will comprise the Class of 2016 additions to the Big Red. All three of the incoming freshmen are ranked as five-star recruits by the Tennis Recruiting Network. The group finished just outside of TRN's top 25 spring rankings in May and was ranked 23rd in the winter.
 
The Big Red returns the bulk of its lineup from a squad that posted nine wins for the second straight season. Most valuable player Sarah O'Neil and captain Christine Ordway are expected to return for their senior seasons. O'Neil earned all All-Ivy League Second Team honors in singles and a place on the All-Ivy First Team in doubles with Lauren Frazier.

Cornell Women's Tennis Newcomers
Name	Ht.	Hometown (Previous School)
Laila Judeh	5-2	Potomac, Md. (Winston Churchill HS)
Christy Kung	5-10	Pembroke Pines, Fla. (West Broward HS)
Dena Tanenbaum	5-5	Manasquan, N.J. (Red Bank Catholic)

Class of 2016 Player Biographies
 
Laila Judeh
5-foot-2 – Potomac, Md. (Winston Churchill HS)
Judeh is ranked 47th in the nation in her recruiting class and second in Maryland. She has spent the majority of her junior career concentrating on USTA play, but also helped Winston Churchill HS capture its fourth consecutive Montgomery County title in 2010. As a result, Judeh was named to The Washington Post's 2011 Spring All-Met Team. She also ran one year of cross country and two years of track at the varsity level.
* Coach Stevens on Judeh: “It is great to have Laila joining our program. She is very talented and works extremely hard both on and off the court. She will definitely help our team in both singles and doubles, and I am looking forward to working with her.”
 
Christy Kung
5-foot-10 – Pembroke Pines, Fla. (West Broward HS)
Kung was a four-year captain at West Broward HS, helping the team finish second in the state during her freshman year while winning a state doubles title. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society and Science Honor Society. Kung is most recently ranked 123rd in the country in her recruiting class, but was tabbed as high as 74th in February.
 * Coach Stevens on Kung: “I am looking forward to having Christy join the team. She is a very strong player in both singles and doubles and will certainly help our program get better right away.”
 
Dena Tanenbaum
5-foot-5 – Manasquan, N.J. (Red Bank Catholic)
Tanenbaum anchored a Red Bank Catholic team to three consecutive state titles, serving as captain for the final crown during her senior season.  She was a three-time Asbury Park Press Player of the Year and two-time Star Ledger Player of the Year. Tanenbaum garnered two first-team all-state selections and advanced as far as the state semifinals in individual singles play. She is currently ranked 40th in the nation within her recruiting class and second in New Jersey.
 * Coach Stevens on Tanenbaum: “Dena is a fantastic recruit for our program. She has a tremendous work ethic and plays a very strong game in both singles and doubles. I am happy to have her join our program and look forward to working with her and watching her success over the next four years.”