Austin Tennis Academy senior Hailee Gopinath verbally committed to attend Gonzaga University in the fall, and will make it official when she signs her commitment letter on Thursday at the ATA signing ceremony.

“I knew of Gonzaga because I grew up in Seattle,” Hailee said. “I like that Gonzaga has smaller class sizes and direct contact with professors. I really like the coach and the team, and that I will compete in the West Coast Conference because we get to travel to California a lot.”

Gonzaga is a private, Division 1 school in Spokane, Washington with an undergraduate enrollment of around 5,000. The campus is set along the Spokane River, about a half-mile from the downtown business district.

“Spokane is great because it is more seasonal rather than the constant rain of Seattle,” Hailee said. “When it’s sunny everything is really green.”

Hailee moved from Seattle to Texas when she was 12. She has been at Austin Tennis Academy for 1 year, but has known ATA’s head coach, Doug Davis, since she was 13.

“The exciting part about the process is that 6 months ago Hailee and her parents committed to her going and participating in several college shootouts,” Coach Davis said.

He explained that college shootouts are events where coaches invite junior players from the region to come to an event and compete against college players and each other. The event serves as somewhat of a showcase to college coaches.

“Her ability to get out there and compete in that setting gave her several significant opportunities that allowed her to have a choice between many good schools and ultimately paved the way for her to go to Gonzaga,” Coach Davis said.

Hailee recently competed on ATA’s Junior Team Tennis team that finished 5th in the nation. She teamed up with Morgan Barnhill to go 5-1 in doubles at the national tournament.

“Hailee thrived in the team format,” Coach Kendall Brooks said. “She brought a lot of energy and was very serious about contributing to the team.”

Hailee joins a Bulldogs team that is coming off of a 14-7 season; the most wins in program history.

“ATA has prepared me for the level of commitment it takes to be a successful college athlete and student,” Hailee said. “They help to foster the discipline required on and off the court to flourish in a college setting, from their emphasis on the importance of academics, to their passion for constructing people not just great tennis players.”

Coach Davis had this to say about her commitment:

“The ATA has offered her a place where she can train and be a part of a peer group. It allowed her to make her own individual choices about her tournament schedule and college process that was unique to her. It was a safe place for her to train and decide on a college.”

“Gonzaga is gaining a very athletic, talented, spirited person who has a great sense of humor and an amazing amount of potential to play an extremely high-level of college tennis.”