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When Gabriella Sadowski (WTN: 18.8) was younger, her dad would pay older players to hit with her so she could improve. Some of the hitting partners were already in college, and would tell Sadowski about their experiences of being on a team.

“I really looked up to them, and I was like, ‘Wow, playing in college looks really cool. I really want to be able to do the same one day,” Sadowski said. “I'm pretty grateful now that I have the opportunity to play college tennis.”

Sadowski, a give-star junior from Macomb, Michigan, has committed to Purdue University. She began emailing Purdue head coach Laura Glitz before Glitz was allowed by NCAA rules to respond. Once Sadowski was of recruitable age, Glitz sent her a text message. They eventually started talking by phone and Glitz came to several matches to watch her play.

“But what really stood out about Purdue was I really connected well with Coach Glitz and the girls on the team,” Sadowski said. “I also really love the fact that they have a great veterinary medicine school, which is what I love to study. It's definitely a school that I could really see myself succeeding after I graduate.”

Sadowski was introduced to tennis by her dad, Nick, when she was 3 years old. She tried dance and soccer, but eventually narrowed her focus to just tennis once she reached middle school.

“It was just too hard to manage both soccer and tennis, and I ended up picking tennis because I just love the individual aspects of the sport,” she said. “It’s a really challenging sport, and I love competing at tournaments. I just love doing all that, so that’s ultimately why I chose tennis over soccer.”

Sadowski, who attends Utica Eisenhower High, suffered a left wrist injury earlier this year that sidelined her for four months. She worked hard to return once she was healthy, and won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division I state singles title in June. She finished the high school season 15-0 to improve her career record to 42-1.

Sadowski felt she was “ahead of the game” during the recruiting process because she knew what she wanted to study in college early on.

“So I narrowed it down to the schools right away based on what schools had a good biology program and obviously a good tennis program,” she said. “On top of that, my dad helped make me a matrix that compared the pros and cons of each program, and then we used that along with my official visits to figure out the best place for me.”

Sadowski had five options that she was seriously considering before she committed to the Biolermakers.

“It really came down to my heart and figuring out what school I felt I would belong best,” she said. “It came down to where I felt I would succeed the most in, and that's ultimately why I ended up choosing Purdue.”

Sadowski will soon be able to share her own college stories with younger players if she stands across the net with them as they begin their tennis journeys.

“I can't wait to be a part of the team and just fight for something much bigger than myself,” she said. “I can’t wait to try and help the team out every day as much as I can.”

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About Rhiannon Potkey

Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories. Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches. Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You can reach Rhiannon by email at [email protected].