NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State women's tennis team picked up an early commitment in the November signing period, as two-star recruit Kia Batiste recently signed her national letter of intent to play for the Spartans.

The sixth-ranked player in the state of Tennessee following her junior season in the Spring of 2010, Batiste has captured back-to-back district and regional championships in 2009 and '10 at No. 1 singles for Christian Academy of Knoxville.

"I definitely know I made the right decision to go to NSU,” said Batiste. “It just felt right. Even though I'll be a good drive away from my family, I know I'll have a family with the team. By going to NSU, I feel that not only will I get a good education, but I will also get two great coaches, a great team and the opportunity to become a better player."

A two-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net, Batiste has advanced to the state quarterfinals in singles each of the last two years while helping Christian Academy to the state finals both times. The Knoxville, Tenn., native was the Team MVP in 2009 and '10 and ranked 167th overall in the South for girls ages 18 and under at the end of last season.

"We are very excited that Kia will join us for the 2011-2012 academic year,” said assistant coach Torrie Browning. “She will bring great things both on and off the court and continue to help us move our women's tennis program in the right direction."

In addition, she has earned all-region honors as a two-time First Team Prep Extra and also picked up All-Knoxville Interscholastic League accolades her first three years of high school.