Photo by Dan Sullivan for The Lafayette
The women’s tennis team playing Loyola Maryland University in March.
Lafayette College’s women’s tennis team hosted an open tryout Monday in hopes of increasing its roster size from seven, but no potential players attended.
Division I athletic programs do not typically host tryouts and instead rely on recruiting or walk-ons. However, with tennis head coach Robert LeBuhn 88’s arrival in April, the team was late to recruiting from the transfer portal, prompting his decision to open tryouts to the public.
The squad also graduated four seniors from last season and lost numerous incoming commits due to coaching instability last year, which included a six-month hiatus without a permanent head coach, according to LeBuhn. The team has previously rostered at least 10 players in past seasons.
“It’s very rare, and this is based off a very unique situation,” LeBuhn said. He added that he received permission from the athletic department to conduct the tryouts.
The Leopards still roster one more player than the required six to compete in NCAA matches, although LeBuhn said he was hoping to yield one additional player “as a buffer in terms of an injury.”
LeBuhn set a benchmark Universal Tennis Rating, or UTR, of 6.0 to make the team. UTR is an algorithm that evaluates a player’s performance based on the percentage of games won relative to their opponent’s skill level; recruiting standards for Division I women’s tennis players’ UTRs typically range from 8.0-12.0.
“I think that there are definitely players out there that are at least close to the 6.0 level,” LeBuhn said. “I don’t hold fast to a number. I just put that there so someone who maybe just played recreation wasn’t going to come.”
LeBuhn will shift focus to the 2026-2027 season with the women’s squad’s current roster, and said he is hoping to increase its size to 12 come next year. He added that he “will be looking at the transfer portal” once it opens in November.