COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri tennis head coach Bianca Turati announced the signing of Gian Octa on Friday, Dec. 8. The Toronto, Ontario native will join the program in the fall of 2024 as a freshman.
Octa, a U18 Indoor and Outdoor Ontario Provincial Singles and Doubles Champion, has represented Canada in the U16 North America Rod Laver IC Junior Challenge in Nassau, Bahamas, competing against the United States, Mexico, Barbados, Bermuda, and Bahamas.
“We are all so excited to have Gian join our Mizzou family. I can’t wait to start working with her next fall and watch her compete in Mizzou gear,” said Turati on Octa. “Gian is incredibly talented and gritty, and she has exponentially improved her tennis game in the last 4-5 months. I am sure she will help the program achieve great things in the future!”
From Bill Crothers Secondary School in Toronto, Canada, Octa boasts a singles universal tennis rating (UTR) of 9.44 and a doubles UTR of 8.80. Ranked in the top 10 in the Canadian Junior National rankings (U12-U18), Octa was a J4 ITF Burlington Singles and Doubles finalist, a J5 ITF Niagara Doubles Champion and a J5 ITF Medford Singles semifinalist. Additionally, she finished third at the 2022 U18 Fischer Outdoor Canadian Junior Nationals.
“Everyone felt like a family, so welcoming and I wanted to be part of that community,” said Octa about choosing Missouri. “Mizzou also has a gorgeous campus filled with many nice people. I loved how it was in a college town, so the university was the town’s main focus. I also loved their competitiveness and school spirit!”.
Tennis returns to action against Grand Canyon on Tuesday, Jan. 9, in Phoenix, Ariz.
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