JUNIOR SPOTLIGHT: Solymar Colling
Something clicked at the start of the summer for Solymar Colling.
The 18-year-old from the City of Orange went on a roll going undefeated in 24 straight matches playing in college and open tournaments, winning an ITA Summer Circuit events at Pomona-Pitzer College and Chapman University, as well as the Manhattan Beach Open Women’s Open and playing for the SCTA Jr. Fed Cup team.
Colling is a new University of San Diego freshman and coached by Elson De Cantuaria of Match Point Tennis Academy.
“I really have improved a lot,” said Colling, who won a round at the Easter Bowl Spring Championships before falling to French Open Junior girls’ champion Caty McNally in the second round. “Before the summer I would have losses at Level 1 and 2 events, but I just kept working hard and once the summer started something clicked and I started winning a bunch of matches.”
Colling said one year ago after her first recruiting visit to USD, she immediately fell in love with the campus and her future coaches. “I just knew that is where I had to be and made the decision to commit right then,” said Colling, who played high school tennis for Villa Park High for three seasons before taking her senior year off to focus on her training.
University of San Diego women’s tennis head coach Sherri Stephens and assistant Nadia Abdala are extremely excited to have Colling, nicknamed “Soly”, on their team.
Soly brings talent and passion to an already experienced team,” Stephens said. “We look forward to her continued progress on a national level and anticipate great things from her in the future.”
In the Pomona-Pitzer final, Colling beat USC’s Sydney Van Alphen, dropping just four games. In the Manhattan Beach Open final she beat former University of Notre Dame player Monica Robinson.
She is often asked about the meaning of her first name. “It means the sun and the sea,” she said. “Sol is sun and mar is sea,” she said.
Colling said she would like to major in real estate at USD. “Both of my parents own commercial real estate in Texas so that seems like the right path for me.”
She added, sarcastically: “I enjoy going to classes as much as anyone else does. But I’m a pretty good student. I’m one of those people who whatever I do I put in the maximum effort.”