JACKSON, Miss. (Jun. 21, 2017) – A highly regarded group of four student-athletes will make up the 2017-18 freshman class for the Millsaps College women's tennis team, with the class ranked No. 23 in the nation by the Tennis Recruiting Network. The group, Grace Gaskins (Marietta, Ga.), Morgan Jenkins (Mountain Brook, Ala.), Ella Shields (Weaverville, N.C.), and Jillian Sandoz (New Orleans, La.), is the first recruiting class to be ranked for the Majors and represents the only class from the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) to be listed among the top-25.
 
A graduate of Walton High School, Gaskins helped lead her team to four state championships and was a three-time recipient of the Sportsmanship Award. She is planning on a business administration major at Millsaps. Jenkins, a three-time letterwinner at Mountain Brook High School, won a state championship in singles play in Alabama, was selected to the National Honor Society, and plans on majoring in biology. A Suma Cum Laude graduate of St. Mary's Dominican High School, Sandoz helped lead that team to four district and regional titles and three state championships. A graduate of North Buncome High School, Shields was the MVP of the tennis team and helped her team reach the final 16 at the state championships. An AP Scholar, she plans on studying neuroscience and cognitive studies at Millsaps.
 
"We are excited about the four women we have joining our team this coming year," said Millsaps head women's tennis coach Jason Box. "Each of them have worked hard in their junior careers and we look forward to them growing as players and as young adults at Millsaps. Adding these four women to the outstanding group of returning players has me already wanting to get on the court with them in August."