Head coach Patrick Sullivan met his star tennis player Elena Kordolaimi by chance.
While in Greece in 2011, Sullivan had plans to meet a different recruit when a Greece Davis Cup coach suggested Sullivan meet with Kordolaimi.
The coach said the girl Sullivan was going to meet was good, but who he really needed to see was Kordolaimi.
There was only one problem.
Kordolaimi was injured and unable to play due to a severe ankle injury, which had her thinking she may never play tennis again, but Sullivan still met with her.
Based on her positive attitude and the coaches’ word, Sullivan offered her a scholarship to play tennis for Stephen F. Austin in fall 2011.
The Greek coaches were right; Kordolaimi was a great player and a real asset to the team. Together, they led SFA to its first NCAA tournament berth and a 43-10 record — the best two-year period in the school’s history.
“It was something amazing. Not many people would do that, and I want to take advantage of the opportunity. That’s why I want to continue to play for him and do my best,” Kordolaimi said.
Kordolaimi, now a sophomore, is attempting to make her mark as a star tennis player in her second year in the U.S. and her first year with UH. She transferred from SFA so she could continue playing for Sullivan.
She said the transition from Greece to SFA to UH was beneficial. It gave her the opportunity to start off smaller and work her way up, which made it easier for her to handle the different systems and a larger university.
Like most students, college took some getting used to.
Kordolaimi said she loves campus and her teammates and is very grateful to be here. The support she gets from teammates, tutors, advisors and coaches provides a great environment and makes her job easy.
Sullivan saidKordolaimi has been a joy to coach because she works hard.
“A lot of kids don’t appreciate it, she does,” Sullivan said.
“She doesn’t take being out here and being able to play for granted. It’s great to have kids that appreciate; not everyone gets a full scholarship to a great place in order to do something they love.”
Kordolaimi hopes to continue to win tournaments here with Sullivan and go on to play professional tennis after graduation. AfterKordolaimi helped the Cougars to secure a national rank during her first season at UH, she’s off to a good start toward reaching her goals.