On Aug. 29, Greenhill senior Sasha Motlagh announced her commitment to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) for tennis.

Motlagh began playing tennis in 2014 for fun, but as she got older, she realized that it was something she wanted to pursue at the collegiate level. Up until now, she has been competing in Juniors, consisting of individual tournaments without the opportunity of competing for a team.

“When my older brother started his recruitment process a few years ago, I was introduced to how different the college environment would be from juniors and I couldn’t wait to be a part of a tight knit team,” said Motlagh.

Motlagh attributes many valuable life lessons she has learned throughout her life to playing tennis.

“I’ve learned a lot, but mostly how important discipline is when it comes to showing up to practice consistently and working the hardest that you can every day,” she said.

The commitment process itself has been a learning experience for Motlagh, teaching her that expectations change and finding a school that fits can be challenging at times.

“The things you think you want will change all the way to the end of the process, so making an early decision doesn’t always mean it’s the best,” said Motlagh.

Motlagh began her commitment process the summer before her junior year. Before that, she had only spoken to a couple of coaches at national tournaments.

However, upon visiting UPenn for the first time, Motlagh had a strong affection for the university.

“I fell in love with the campus and the attitude surrounding the program, girls and coaches included. It felt like the program was fostering a hard-working expectation but keeping it positive,” said Motlagh.

It wasn’t just the team environment that intrigued Motlagh, but the many other aspects of UPenn.

“The libraries were beautiful, and I wanted to go up north for school, so it was the best choice I could make,” said Motlagh.

Playing tennis at a collegiate level will bring a lot of new experiences for Motlagh. And she is looking forward to many things about playing for UPenn.

“I am most excited about an environment that doesn’t get replicated in juniors tennis.” said Motlagh.