ELON, N.C. – This season, the Elon University women's tennis team has a hunger unlike anything head coach
Elizabeth Anderson has seen in her two-plus decades at the helm for the Phoenix.
Despite a crushing loss in the CAA Championship quarterfinals that ended Elon's season last year, Anderson said the way her 2024-25 team has chosen to respond has been outstanding.
"You can't put it into words, the hunger that drives them, that really makes them want to put in that extra effort to be able to accomplish something really special as a team," Anderson said.
Anderson said she believes the way the team prepared in the offseason for its spring campaign was remarkable. She explained that this year's squad has put forth one of, if not the best effort she has ever seen preparation-wise in her two-plus decades of coaching.
"They pushed themselves, and we probably pushed them the hardest of any fall that we've had since I've been here, and they responded really, really well and have had some really good results," Anderson said.
At the ITA Carolina Regionals in the fall, junior Helen Sarikulaya and senior
Miray Konar made history. After downing duos from South Carolina and Wake Forest, the pairing became the first-ever Elon players in program history to advance to the doubles semifinals in the event.
Sarikulaya, who was selected to serve as team captain this year, said although securing wins over two Power Four opponents was a great experience, the victory was rewarding because of how the rest of the Elon squad performed at Regionals.
"It wasn't just someone individually on the court by themselves, we played as a team that day," Sarikulaya said. "I don't think anyone played for themselves, but they played for everyone."
Since then, the Phoenix has built off its momentum from the fall to start the spring 3-1, which marks its best start in eight seasons.
"The fall really gave us a drive into the season now," Sarikulaya said. "I think where we are now, it's going great, but we're looking to do more."
Sarikulaya echoed Anderson's remarks about this squad in particular. In her two years at Elon, the junior said she has never felt a team have a more collective "bond" among each other until this season.
"I definitely believe that we as a team have something more valuable from the previous years that I've seen," Sarikulaya said. "What's just so different between my experiences throughout the years, is that with the team we all have something in common and something that we connect to, and that's what has brought us to be the team that we are today."
"We just have that bond. I think everyone on the team has that experience with each other," Sarikulaya added. "Every teammate has something valuable that they share within each other."
After Elon's sweep against Bellarmine on Jan. 24, junior Madison Cordisco spoke to the same bond that Sarikulaya mentioned, which makes it clear just how widespread the camaraderie is throughout the entire roster.
"All eight of us are like sisters, we hang out together even off the court, so our bond is literally perfect," Cordisco said on Jan. 24.
Anderson explained how rare it is for every player on a collegiate roster to be motivated intrinsically. However, the seasoned head coach said her 2025 squad does not lack any drive, whether it's during a match or during individual workouts.
Anderson said that she never second guesses whether the team is putting in an adequate effort when it comes to their craft, even on "bad days" where workouts have to be asynchronous because of poor weather conditions outside.
"If you ask them to do something, they're doing it," Anderson said.
"They have the expectation level, whether the coaches are watching or not, they'll do it themselves," Anderson added. "That's the kind of team that we've got, and I think that's pretty special to be able to have a group that is so motivated."
Sarikulaya explained that even on the team's most trying days, the group still finds a way to persevere, even when spirits are not as high as they normally seem to be among this year's squad.
"When we have our tough days, we still push each other, no matter what," Sarikulaya said.
"We're always there to cheer on our teammates, even if they're down a set or up a set, whatever it is, we're holding each other accountable," Sarikulaya added.
Anderson is confident that her roster has developed a rather harmonious chemistry among each other, which has driven the Phoenix to execute on the court at the highest level.
"That's what makes this team special, is that the entire team, all eight players, are firing on the same cylinders," Anderson said. "They're really working well together and really locked in and team-oriented."
In Sarikulaya's singles matches last season, she always played in the No. 4, No. 5 or No. 6 spot. Through just four contests so far this year, the junior has remained at the No. 2 position.
Even though Sarikulaya was named captain and has risen on the match ladder seeding, she explained that the leadership position and the number of the court she is playing on is inconsequential compared to the final match results.
"Us as teammates, we don't care what position we're on, I'm there to play whatever position I've been told to be played on that day and my goal is to get that point," Sarikulaya said.
"It's great to play at an upper level, and see a different type of ball game, but I'm out there to work hard and do whatever it takes to get that point and get that W," Sarikulaya added.
Sarikulaya's modesty is evident, but the coaches clearly saw her as a pulse that could serve as a leader for the team. The junior captain fills a leadership void in the wake of veterans Lizette Reding and Sibel Tanik – multiple-time All-CAA selections who both have 50-plus singles wins and 49-plus doubles victories to their names – graduating from the program.
"I saw the drive in her and the hunger and how she demanded and expected more from herself and the team at the end of last year and going in the summer," Anderson said of Sarikulaya. "She really understood the vision of what it took to get where we wanted to be."
Sarikulaya explained that with the team's stick-to-itiveness when it comes to improving their craft, in addition to Elon's seemingly unbreakable camaraderie, the group always finds ways to support each other.
"We talk with each other. We hold each other accountable. When someone's down, someone's holding another teammate up," Sarikulaya said.
When posed the question of which player on the team was poised for a particularly good season, Anderson's response came immediately, "Everybody."
"This team's just good," Anderson said. "You just see that look in everybody, they just really want it."
"You just see a spark within this team that I think makes them super special," Anderson added.
While the Phoenix is already four matches into its 2025 spring season, the team's high level of play has been evident, as the record marks Elon's best start since the 2016-17 season.
With recent poor weather, Elon has been playing its home matches in Greensboro at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center. The Phoenix will finally take the courts at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center in its official home-opener against Belmont Abbey (2-0) on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Additionally, Elon will host the CAA Championships at the JPTC for the second straight year, from April 25-27. Sarikulaya explained that having the opportunity to win the CAA Championship on their home court would be incredibly special.
"We are hungry for that conference tournament that's coming up in the spring, and everyone is holding each other accountable to make that happen," Sarikulaya said.
"I like to keep things in the moment and stay present in what we do. I think with the mindset we have and the dedication and the motivation as a team, we can definitely win," Sarikulaya added. "And especially, we're hosting, so that's a big advantage on our end. We know the court very well. We have the locker room here. We have that support system that we need to make sure we'll get that championship."
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Phoenix roster consists of two freshmen in Lisa Kranec and Heidi Bulger, two sophomores in Simone Bergeron and Mariana Reding, two juniors in Madison Cordisco and Helen Sarikulaya and a lone senior in Miray Konar. The last time the Phoenix had one senior on its roster was the 2020-21 season, when the Phoenix went 17-5 and reached the CAA quarterfinals. 2021 also marked Elon's highest winning percentage (.773) since the 2013 season.
AD(VANTAGE), ELON
Of 22 total scheduled regular season matches, the maroon and gold is scheduled to host 14 home matches at the JPTC this spring. Additionally, the Phoenix will host the CAA Championships from April 25-27, marking the second straight year the event will be at Elon. This spring will be the seventh time that the Phoenix host the event.
THE 300 CLUB
Head coach Elizabeth Anderson, the winningest coach in program history, enters her 21st season coaching the Phoenix and holds a 293-184 record, including Elon's 3-1 start to the year. Anderson is just seven wins away from notching her 300th career victory. With 18 guaranteed contests remaining, Anderson reaching the three-century mark is very feasible.
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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