Young tennis player lands on her feet

Marlborough’s leading tennis player is heading Stateside.

Ella Sowman, recently named Marlborough player of the year for the 2023-24 season, has landed a four-year tennis scholarship with Lander University, in South Carolina, USA.

The 18-year-old Marlborough Girls’ College student agreed terms with the university in October after a protracted recruitment process.

“About two years ago I received a message from one of the agents that work for Global College USA … they reached out to me and said they had been looking at my rankings and thought I had a good chance of getting an overseas scholarship,” said Ella.

“I hadn’t really considered that as an option because I didn’t know much about it. But when I talked to my tennis friends, who were a year older than me, I found some of them were heading to the States so I got plenty of information from them.

“[A scholarship] really began to interest me so, at the start of this year, I signed with an agency, made a profile and a video which was sent out to coaches from lots of different universities.

“Out of them all, only three declined, which left me with 26 possibilities and I scheduled video meetings with all of them. Luckily it was in the school holidays, otherwise I am not sure if I could have fitted it all in.”

That process took around a month to complete, Ella having multiple calls with several coaches and current members of their tennis programmes, before she narrowed the possibilities down to four destinations – South Carolina, Tennessee, California and Illinois.

All of the universities offered different pros and cons, making a final choice difficult before Ella settled on Lander, a public university with around 4300 students.

“I chose Lander because I felt a really strong connection with the coach [Samantha Allison],” said Ella.

“My friends who were already over in the States said that was one of the most important things and I had four or five 45-minute calls with her before making my mind up.”

She was also impressed with the tennis facilities at Lander and their wider programme.

The women’s team contains several foreign players, with Ella and a South African player joining the team in early January for their spring semester.

They play in the Peach Belt Conference and NCAA Division II, with just six of the 12 players in the squad being named to play each week.

Ella is hoping to be ranked either three or four in the team but knows she has to prove herself as soon as she arrives.

“So, I have to get there in my top form which makes me a bit nervous,” she added.

However, Ella is making every effort to ensure her game is well-honed before leaving Kiwi shores, undertaking a hectic weekly schedule.

She flies to Auckland on Friday afternoon to play in their interclub competition, then down to Wellington on Saturday to join another interclub side, before returning to Blenheim for premier interclub on Wednesday night. She also coaches at Rapaura and undertakes her own training sessions, on court and in the gym, so rarely has a racket out of her grip.

But it is not just tennis that has lured our number one player to the States with Ella, who is keen to remain in the sporting industry, undertaking a degree in fitness and wellness. Tuition fees are covered by her scholarship, plus accommodation, gear and travel.

After dabbling in swimming, hockey and netball Ella has found her niche in tennis.

“Ever since I was young, I have just loved tennis,” she said.  “It’s such a good atmosphere … and you get to meet so many nice people around the country.

“I also like how it is such an individual game … it is just you against you most of the time. You are on your own out there and you have to control your emotions, make your own decisions, there is no-one there to help you.”

Ella admitted she was not always the outwardly-calm individual she is now on the court.

“I used to get quite angry when I was younger. Dad videoed me one time getting angry on the court and showed it to me. I thought it was just the most embarrassing thing … so I have tried since then to calm my emotions and not let my opponent see that I am stressed or angry.”

Ella, who enjoyed a career highlight with a semifinal appearance at the 2024 national under-18 tournament, hopes to continue her tennis progression at Lander, whose sports teams are known as “The Bearcats”.

“My goal is to come back and be in the top 10 women in New Zealand, maybe travel around a bit playing different tournaments, just to explore those options,” she added.

“I would like to thank my coach Matt Hair who has somehow been able to put up with me for the past five years. He pushes me to my maximum every training and I know without him I wouldn't be the player I am today.

“I would also like to say a huge thank you to Reilly at Inspire Tennis, and the Marlborough and Rapaura clubs for the massive support they have given me throughout my career so far.”