The ETSU women’s tennis program etched their place in school history this year. Over Easter weekend the ladies snatched the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament title in Macon, Ga. ETSU defeated Stetson (5-0) in the championship game on Saturday, April 15.
With the win ETSU women’s sports earned their first Atlantic Sun Championship and the women’s tennis team won their first ever conference title.
Steve Brooks, head coach of the lady Buccaneer tennis program, said he has been excited about his team’s chemistry all year long.
Brooks, who has been with ETSU for five years, said the squad has gotten better every year. “Each year the freshman class has pushed the upper class to get better,” Brooks said.
Brooks’ first freshman recruit started the ball rolling forward for the Lady Bucs. “When I first saw Sylwia (Ziolkowska) I knew she was the player that would help get this team to where it needed to be,” Brooks said.
ETSU’s head tennis coach met Ziolkowska in Florida at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy Tournament. “I was in the academy and knew I wanted to attend a university, I just didn’t know where,” Ziolkowska said.
Ziolkowska, a senior from Warsaw, Poland, accepted Brooks’ offer to visit East Tennessee State University. The 6-foot-tall tennis talent made her decision to come to Johnson City rather quickly. “I don’t know what it was but after the second day of the recruiting visit I knew I wanted to sign on at ETSU,” she said. “It felt like home.”
She wanted to make an impact on the Lady Bucs tennis program. “It was my dream since I came here to win a conference championship,” said the senior.
It took time, but the dream was realized in Ziolkowska’s final year with the team. “Sylwia came to the program trusting me,” said Brooks.
In Ziolkowska’s freshman campaign, the team lost 21 matches and had only one win.
The slow start never deterred the impact player from Poland. “I told her we would win the conference,” Brooks said. “I told her we would get to the NCAAs.”
Four years later it happened.
There is still life left in the season for the Lady Bucs. The conference title secured an automatic placement in the NCAA tournament for the team.
Ziolkowska will be moving on after the season is over though. “I want to work and get some business experience,” he said. “I want to get my master’s degree as well.”
Ziolkowska wants to eventually own her own business.
She believes her teammates will fair just fine in the years to come. “The girls are awesome,” Ziolkowska said. “Everybody on the team wanted this championship as much as me and coach.

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