PEORIA, Ill. – Get to know more about Bradley Tennis player Anna Belogliadova.  

Anna originally from St. Petersburg Russia enters her Junior season as a Bradley Brave. Anna started playing tennis at a young age after her mom got her into it.

"When I was four or five years old my mom took me to the tennis lesson and apparently I was alright and I liked it. Since then I have been playing tennis. I cannot remember myself not playing this sport," said Anna Belogliadova. 

Loving tennis and wanting to come over to the States from Russia Anna wanted to come on a tennis scholarship that way she could further her studies while playing the sport she loved. 

Anna draws her inspiration to compete from her sister who runs and competes in triathlons including many Iron Man triathlons.

Apart from tennis, I enjoy running and working out. In the future, I really want to run a marathon somehow and maybe start doing triathlons. My sister is a huge inspiration for me in this sense. She did Iron Man many times and runs ultra marathons. So I would love to do that with her one day," said Anna Belogliadova.

"I think throughout my tennis career I've been motivated and inspired by the opportunity of getting a scholarship in the US college to play for the varsity team. I'm not from a really wealthy family, so the full ride was my only option of getting here. Because of the level of higher education and the amount of opportunities in the US, studying and playing tennis here has been my dream for a long time. I am so grateful to my coach for giving me the chance to come here and making my dream come true," said Anna Belogliadova.

Bradley made the offer to Anna and she took it and ran with it enjoying the atmosphere of Bradley.

"I think the relatively small size of Bradley and it's community makes it special. I made a lot of connections on campus with students, faculty, and local people. Many times I have been stunned by how kind and welcoming people from Peoria are," said Anna Belogliadova. 

Anna in just her sophomore year was the Braves player on court two. In singles matches she went 10-14 overall. While in doubles she went 12–8 overall and finished MVC play with a winning record of 4-3. 

Hailing from Russia Anna's recruitment was different than most as her recruitment agency reached out to Head Coach Matt Tyler to discuss the possibility of her coming to Bradley.

"Anna's recruiter reached out to me and we started the conversation about her coming to Bradley. I was impressed with her attitude and energy immediately and knew she was a great fit for us," said Head Coach Matt Tyler.

A positive force on the team that helps everyone on the team improve while being a leader.
 

"Anna always has a great attitude and work ethic. She truly loves playing tennis and is always lifting the team environment in a positive direction.  She's a great leader and always has the team's best interest at heart," said Head Coach Matt Tyler.


 

Coach Tyler sees a bright future for the rising junior, as he expects an all-conference nomination. She has continually risen to exceed expectations and grow.

"She's improved so much in the last two years and I expect nothing less from her in the next two. I think she has the potential to be an all-conference performer both in singles and doubles for sure.  Most importantly though I see her continuing to be a great leader and help her teammates reach their potential individually and as a team," said  Head Coach Matt Tyler.
 

Anna being a leader on the team is in part due to her being friends with her teammates and the bond that they have making memories whether on the or at or at home.

"My favorite memories here are from our trips with the tennis team. I enjoy being on the road and seeing different parts of the country. Some of the happiest moments here were with my Russian teammates, just us hanging out together during the semesters," said Anna Belogliadova.

Post Bradley Anna wants to work in the business world staying in one of the big cities in the US.

After graduating and getting a bachelor's degree I am planning to stay in the US as long as possible and work, work, work. I want to work in the IT Data Analytics or Business Analytics field. Chicago would be my dream city to work in, however, I haven't been to New York yet, so maybe I'll change my mind after visiting it," said Anna Belogliadova.