Lera Valeeva and Kristina Kozakova: SEMO’s latest pair of champions

SEMO Tennis double players Kristina Kozakova and Lera Valeeva won the fall Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) tournament on Sept. 22. In the finals match the two took down Southern Indiana, shutting them out with a score of 6-0.

Valeeva, a graduate student from Russia, has played her entire career at SEMO collecting many accolades over the last 5 seasons, including winning the OVC championship in 2022, and 2023 with the team. Although she has seen teammates come and go, she continues to build strong relationships with her each of peers.

“Even though it’s a small town, we are still really close to each other, and I really like it. It’s a great community here. I like to be here,” Valeeva said.

Her counterpart on the court, Kozakova, is also a graduate student, entering her first year with the program.

Kozakova, a transfer from Blue Mountain Christian, said that the main difference between her previous program and SEMO's is the effort put into winning and the standard it has for success.

“SEMO is a little bit harder on us. They want us to succeed. They are going to make us succeed,” Kozakova said.

Before playing at the collegiate level, Kozakova was ranked in the top 50 for ‘women’s singles’ in her home country of Slovakia. She came to SEMO to further pursue her goals of becoming a professional athlete.

“I want to go pro. I knew I could not stay where I was before (Blue Mountain Christian). I’m glad I am here. I’m glad I met coach Brooks, who will help me with my future goals,” Kozakova said.

Steve Brooks was named the head coach of the women’s tennis team this summer. Brooks brings tons of coaching experience to the table, as well as some playing experience. He played at Carson-Newman University, where he totaled 200 wins over 4 years. Brooks holds the record for most wins in the program’s history.

Brooks brings his expertise to the table when deciding who to pair together for doubles matches.

“Playing doubles is like playing chess. I want to teach all of our players to be able to look at the whole board, look how the pieces work and how they’re going to fit that day, so they can make the adjustments they need to,” Brooks said.

Brooks used this expertise in the OVC fall tournament to help set the double up for success against one of the two Southern Indiana pairs.

“When they [Kozakova and Valeeva] had match point in their first match, that was the toughest match they faced. I asked them what they thought about a different formation, they did it and they won the point. It was good,” Brooks said.

With this being Valeeva’s last year as a Redhawk, Coach Brooks wants to help Valeeva achieve her best season yet as a final send-off.

“I set a goal for her. I want [to make] someone to be so mad they break their racket either during or after the match.” Brooks said.

The dynamic duo of Lera Valeeva and Kristina Kozakova sees the court again on October 4th and 5th, competing for another tournament win in Murfreesboro, Tenn.