BY WHITELAW REID
D
ANIELLE COLLINS WAS t h e
No. 2-ranked prospect in the
country for two years running be-
fore she arrived at the University
of Florida. But as a first-year in
Gainesville, Fla., she played low in the Gators'
lineup, if at all.
When she made the decision to transfer to
Virginia at the end of the season, she did so
with a chip on her shoulder. Collins felt she had
something to prove.
Boy, did she ever do that.
In May, Collins became the first-ever Virginia
women's tennis player to win an NCAA cham-
pionship.
Collins' run to the title in Athens, Ga.,
shocked everyone in the college tennis world,
with the possible exception of Virginia head
coach Mark Guilbeau and assistant Troy Porco.
While the St. Petersburg, Fla., native had en-
joyed a very strong season — Collins was MVP
of the ACC Tournament — she had played No. 2
singles for Virginia behind fellow second-year
Julia Elbaba and wasn't seeded in the NCAA
Tournament. In addition, Collins was playing
with a nagging wrist injury that would require
offseason surgery.
SOMETHING
TO PROVE
In Her First Season At UVa, Danielle Collins
Was Crowned A Champion
Despite being unseeded and hampered by a
wrist injury, Collins became the first-ever Vir-
ginia women's tennis player to win an NCAA
championship.
PHOTO COURTESY UVA
i15-17.Danielle Collins.indd 1 6/3/14 2:17 PM
