Three Minnesota high school standouts -- Sophie Lynch (Holy Family H.S.), Ally Tiedemann (Crookston H.S.) and Sarah Will (Northfield H.S.) -- have all signed a National Letter of Intent or Letter of Acceptance to play tennis for and attend the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2018-19.

The Bulldogs recently concluded the 2018 season with the highest winning percentage (.642 off a 9-5 record) since 2007 and qualified for the NSIC Tournament for the second time in as many years. The Bulldogs have high expectations for the upcoming year and with the loss of three seniors, they'll be some big shoes to fill. Third-year head coach Jessica Worden believes Lynch, Tiedemann and Will are up to the task.

"I am beyond thrilled to welcome our new recruits," said Worden. "All three bring a new dynamic and high level of competition to our team. I am confident these incoming freshmen will help us reach levels of success."

Lynch from Eden Prairie, Minn.,  enjoyed an outstanding career at Holy Family Catholic High School, one that included four straight trips to the Minnesota State High School Class A Tournament, As a freshman in 2014, she earned All-Conference honors in doubles and played a key role in the Fire's conquest of the state championship. The following fall, Holy Catholic Family returned to state, and Lynch, playing at No. 2 singles also qualified as an individual at that event. She moved up to No.1 singles her junior year when she was named all-conference and paid another visit to state tourney both as an individual and as a team member.  During her farewell prep go-around, Lynch captured the conference singles title, qualified for the state meet as an individual, and helped lead the Fire to place second-place Class A finish. Besides shining on the tennis court, Sophie also has gotten it done academically as both she and the Fire have received gold standards for academics for the past six years. She is the daughter of Michael and Lisa Lynch, and Rebecca and Dave McCarthy and has two older sisters (Lexi and Kayla.)  Lynch plans on majoring in communication at UMD.  When asked made her choose UMD, she stated that she felt comfortable at campus and loved the city of Duluth.  She was also impressed by how much passion coach Worden had for the Bulldog tennis.

Tiedemann, a resident of Euclid, Minn., left an impressive mark at Crookston High School. She exited the Pirate program last spring fall as its all-time leader in wins with 152 --all of which came at No. 1 singles (a position she held since the eighth grade. Tiedermann was four-year Minnesota State High School Class A Tournament  participant in doubles with her top finish being a fourth-place effort. As a sophomore, she and the Pirates made it to the state meet and took second. In addition, Tiedemann starred on the golf course with the Pirates.  For five straight years, she qualified for the Minnesota State High School Golf Tournament and as a sophomore and junior, placed sixth and seventh, respectively. This past spring, Tiedemann put together her best round of state golf and the turned in the highest finish of her career -- fifth. . Along with being a great athlete, she is a fantastic student and was named all-state academic her senior year. She's the daughter of Sue Tiedemann and has two siblings -- Bobby, who is currently attending St. Mary, and Catherine who is a freshman in high school. Tiedemann, who is undecided on a major at UMD, is extremely excited to be a Bulldog. Asked what made her decide to on continuing her academic and athletic at UMD, Tiedemann replied, "The team and coach Worden were all very nice."

Will, who was a three-time All-Big 9 Conference honoree and a 2016 Minnesota State High School Class AA doubles participant, captained Northfield High School as both a junior and senior. A letterwinner in lacrosse as well, Will handled the No. 1 singles role for the Raiders in 2016. She is the daughter of Tania and Dennis Will and have one brother (Ryan), and a sister, (Rachel, who is currently a freshman with the Bemidji State University tennis team). Will is looking a pursuing a degree in biology at UMD and lists one of the reasons she chose to become a Bulldog was because of the great academics that UMD offers and loving the Duluth area.