University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Adds Blue Chip Recruit Makenna Jones
June 14, 2016 | Women's Tennis
Currently ranked 8th in the nation and second in the Southeast according to TennisRecruiting.net, Jones led Travelers Rest High School to a team state title in 2013, while also winning singles championships in 2013 and '14.
“Makenna comes from an incredible tennis family and we are just thrilled that she will join us this fall in Chapel Hill,” said Kalbas. “A great person with an incredible work ethic, Makenna is going to help our program immediately with her athleticism and team first attitude.”
Jones was named 2015 Southern Region Player of the Year, and earned the South Carolina Wilton McKinney Award, the same award that UNC All-America Hayley Carter won in 2012.
More recently, Jones has competed in futures and challengers events where she has qualified for three 10K tournaments and one 25K event. She also reached the semifinals of the Shape Magazine Invitational, a wild card tournament to gain entry into the Volvo Car Open, a WTA Tour event in Charleston, South Carolina.
Jones' father, Kelly, is the head coach of the men's tennis program at Furman University, while her mother, Tami Whitlinger-Jones, was a top-50 singles player, and a two-time All-America at Stanford University.
Kelly reached a No. 1 doubles rankings on the ATP Tour in October 1992, then reached the doubles final at the U.S Open and Australian Open that same year.
