This is fantastic news for the team. Now, if there are injuries, as there have been the last two years, they won’t have to forfeit matches. This team might have a chance to do good things this year.
http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/011018aaa.html
Head Coach Courtney Steinbock and the Houston Cougar Women’s Tennis program announced the addition of Alison Mills and Elena Tairyan to the roster, prior to the start of the 2018 spring season.
Mills joins the Cougars as a graduate transfer from the University of South Carolina, where she competed from 2014-17, and she will have one season of eligibility remaining. In her career with the Gamecocks, Mills tallied nine wins, including three during her junior season. The Duluth, Ga., native was an ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2016-17 and earned SEC Academic Honor Roll laurels in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Mills was a member of the Dean’s List in the fall of 2014 and was AD Honor Roll in 2014 and 2015.
In high school, Mills was a 3-star prospect out of Peachtree Ridge High School where she was named as a top-80 recruit in the southeast region and a top-25 recruit in the state of Georgia. Mills finished her senior season ranked as the No. 220 player in the nation coming out of high school.
“Ali will be a great asset to this team as she adds a great deal of experience and knowledge of what it’s like being a part of a top program prior to transferring to the University of Houston,” Steinbock said. “She’s a great kid who will fit in very well with this team and also add a lot of depth. She will be an immediate impact in so many ways. I’m looking forward to her spending her senior year here at Houston, and I can’t wait to work with her”
Tairyan joins Houston by way of Moscow, Russia, and enters the spring semester as a freshman with four years of eligibility. Tairyan attend Moscow State School 2086, where she finished inside the top-100 of the Russian national rankings.
Tairyan most recently competed in the Moscow Championship – Grade A, where she finished as the runner-up in doubles competition. Tairyan has won a multitude of championships on both the singles and doubles courts, including three Armenian Championships.
“Elena has really good potential, and I’m really looking forward for us to start working with her,” Steinbock said. “Her drive and passion for the game and player development is what we want here at Houston, so she will fit in very well. I see a bright future for her here as a Coog!”