Born and raised in
Miami, Florida, Appelbaum-Steinbauer earned
All-American honors in each of her four years of varsity tennis for the
Miami Hurricanes at the
University of Miami, and was the
USTA national collegiate doubles champion with Terry Salganik in 1977. Appelbaum-Steinbauer played on the professional tour after graduating in 1978 and qualified as a lucky loser for the
1981 US Open main draw, where she won her first round match against
Elizabeth Smylie. A member of the
UM Sports Hall of Fame, Appelbaum is the current Tournament Director of the
Junior Orange Bowl. Appelbaum-Steinbauer is Jewish, and represented the United States at the
1977 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning a bronze medal in singles and a silver medal in doubles with
Donna Rubin. Her daughter Julie was also a
2013 Maccabiah Games competitor in golf. ==References==