GOING INTO HER match on Senior Day, Aeriel Ellis didn’t know how many wins she had col- lected over her collegiate tennis career. But, along with a packed arena, she would find out.
As the announcer pre- sented Ellis to the crowd, he also mentioned her 99 victo- ries. Without meaning to, the announcer completely blind-sided her.
Everything froze in that moment for Ellis.
“I thought, ‘Oh my …[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]
God,’” she recalled. “‘I’m supposed to get my 100th win.’”
And with that thought, her match became so much more than just Senior Day.
The road to those first 99 wins started in Hayward, Calif., where Ellis first picked up a rac- quet to emulate her older brother.
“I was that annoying little sister that wanted to do everything he did — only better,” Ellis admitted.
As is the case for many children, the allure of playing tennis wasn’t about the actual sport. When she played a tournament at the age of 7, Ellis only cared about staying in a hotel and swim- ming in the pool. “That was my motivation for the tournament,” she laughed.
But by age 9, the sense of competition finally caught hold of her.
“That’s when I realized what rankings meant and started to understand that winning
isn’t just about having fun,” Ellis said. “Winning is about putting your best foot forward.”
She’s continued to move that foot forward, all the way to the 40 Acres.
Convincing the highly-pursued Californian to leave the west coast for Texas was a major recruiting coup.
“She’s fast, hits a huge ball, has a unique, one-handed backhand,” head coach Patty Fendick- McCain explained. “She’s a tough competitor and has a great all-court game.”
Before Ellis even won her first match for the Longhorns, Fendick-McCain knew that a special career was about to unfold. “I expected for her to become an All-American and have a shot at winning an NCAA singles championship.”
Ellis delivered on all of these expectations. Between her first and 99th win, Ellis became a two-time All-American. She reached the singles round of 16 at the 2011 and 2012 NCAA tourna- ments.
After she completes her final match at Texas, Ellis will face a tough decision — pursue a profes- sional tennis career or become a pharmacist.
“I want to go to pharmacy school,” she explained.
But after a moment, the competitor quickly bubbled to the surface. “If I do well at NCAA individuals, I could get into the U.S. Open,” Ellis added. “If I play well enough, I’d toy with the idea of playing some tournaments over the summer. Either plan sounds good.”
She could have worse options, but Ellis earned this quandary through a lifetime of hard work in both athletics and academics.
And this all became apparent on Senior Day.
Ellis gained her 100th win, etching her name into Texas tennis history. Since then, she clinched the winning point for Texas, leading the Longhorns to their ninth Big 12 Championship. She also earned her fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships.
The only outstanding item on Ellis’ to-do list is to defeat her brother on the court — the rivalry that started it all.
“I’m 5’2” and he’s 6’1” so he has some height, speed and strength over me,” Ellis said. “And he still won’t play me.”
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