Liz Cruz is entering her first season as the assistant coach for the USF women's tennis team, but she is no stranger to the Bulls. Cruz was a student at USF from 2004-2008 and played tennis for the Bulls all four years.
Cruz brings with her a strong tennis background and a lot of knowledge on what it takes to win a BIG EAST Championship. Prior to her coming to USF in 2004, Cruz was ranked #1 in Salvador in singles and doubles and she was ranked #2 COTECC G18 in singles (Central American and Caribbean Ranking). In 2002 she was ranked #123 in singles and #88 in doubles by the ITA. Cruz also represented El Salvador in the Fed Cup for three years.
During her career at USF, Cruz helped her team win a BIG EAST Championship during the 2006-07 season which was the first BIG EAST Championship for any USF sports team. She also competed with the Bulls in the NCAA Championships during the 2005-06 season and the 2006-07 season. Cruz started her freshman spring season with a 12-match win streak and she went undefeated in the Conference USF championships, defeating Tina Grasso of Saint Louis, Natalie Laszkowski of Louisville and Yolandi Terblanche of Houston.
During her sophomore year at USF, Cruz and teammate Iciri Rai earned a doubles record of 19-12 and she posted a dual match record of 17-2. Cruz finished her sophomore season ranked No. 92 by the ITA. During her junior year at USF, Cruz went 17-6 in dual match competition and she helped her team advance to the second round of the NCAA Championships with her three-set match-clinching victory against Marijana Cutuk of Florida International.
Cruz is very excited about being a bull again and about sharing her tennis knowledge with the rest of the team. Coach Moreno believes that Cruz is going to be a great addition to the coaching staff.
Personal: Born on July 21, 1985 in San Salvador, El Salvador. She is the daughter of Marta Lidia de Cruz and has two brothers Jose, and Hector, and two sisters Alicia and Mirian ... Played tennis in many countries including: Aruba, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, Chile and the USA ... Enjoys listening to music and watching movies ... Graduated from USF with a degree in business management.
