Susana Souhrada

The college tennis recruiting process rarely follows a perfect path. For Susana Souhrada, it included injuries, disappearing scholarship opportunities, filled roster spots, canceled visits, and several moments when a commitment appeared close—only to fall apart at the last second.

Despite every setback, Susana continued working, returned to playing excellent tennis, and ultimately found an opportunity better than she could have imagined: competing for Penn State women’s tennis in the Big Ten.

Returning Stronger After an Injury

Susana originally planned to begin college in Fall 2025. Unfortunately, injury issues interrupted those plans and forced her to postpone the start of her college tennis career.

Instead of allowing the setback to define her, Susana focused on recovering and rebuilding her game. She returned stronger, began producing excellent results, and once again established herself as a highly promising NCAA Division I tennis prospect.

We started working with Susana in November 2025 with the goal of finding the right university for Fall 2026.

Her potential was clear. She had the level to attract strong Division I programs, but finding the correct combination of tennis, academics, scholarship availability, team culture, and timing would prove extremely difficult.

A College Tennis Recruiting Process Filled With Setbacks

We began contacting and speaking with top college tennis programs about Susana. Several opportunities appeared extremely promising, and on multiple occasions, she believed she was close to finding her future university.

Then things repeatedly went wrong.

Scholarship money that appeared available disappeared at the last minute. Coaches who had shown serious interest changed direction shortly before a potential commitment. Roster positions were filled before Susana could finalize her decision. Planned college visits fell through.

A process that was already difficult became an emotional roller coaster.

Susana became excited about committing several times, only to watch the opportunity disappear. Any one of those disappointments could have caused a player to lose confidence or accept a school that wasn’t truly right.

But Susana remained resilient—and we kept working.

Staying Patient in NCAA Division I Tennis Recruiting

Timing is one of the most challenging parts of Division I college tennis recruiting. Coaches have limited roster positions and scholarship budgets, while recruits are often speaking with several programs simultaneously.

An opportunity can change quickly, especially late in the recruiting cycle.

Our responsibility was to keep Susana’s search moving forward. We continued communicating with coaches, identifying openings, presenting her results, and searching for a university that matched both her tennis level and academic ambitions.

We weren’t going to encourage her to settle simply because other opportunities had fallen apart. The goal remained the same: find the school where Susana could succeed academically, compete at a high level, enjoy the complete college experience, and make an immediate contribution to the team.

Eventually, we found the gem.

Why Penn State Was the Perfect Fit

Everything came together with Penn State University.

Penn State offered the complete package Susana had been searching for:

• NCAA Division I women’s tennis

• Competition in the Big Ten Conference

• Excellent academics and career opportunities

• A respected coaching staff

• A strong team culture

• An incredible campus and athletic environment

• The opportunity to compete high in the lineup and contribute immediately

From the tennis program to the academics and overall atmosphere, Penn State checked every box.

The connection with the coach was excellent, and Susana could see a clear role for herself within the program. She would have the opportunity to compete against high-level Division I players, continue developing her game, and represent one of the most recognized universities in college athletics.

After so many plans and visits had previously fallen through, Susana traveled to Penn State and immediately knew she had found her future home.

She committed during the visit.

Susana Souhrada’s Penn State Tennis Commitment

Susana will join Penn State women’s tennis in Fall 2026 with the opportunity to make an immediate impact for the Nittany Lions.

After everything she experienced throughout the recruiting process, the final result made every setback worth it. The opportunities that disappeared were disappointing at the time, but they ultimately kept Susana available for the school that fit her best.

Penn State combines high-level Big Ten tennis, outstanding academics, an enormous alumni network, and a complete college sports experience. It is the type of opportunity Susana worked so hard to earn.

Making College Tennis Recruiting Work

Susana’s journey is one of our favorite Recruited success stories because it represents what the recruiting process sometimes demands: patience, resilience, constant communication, and the determination to keep searching when plans unexpectedly collapse.

This was not a simple process. There were moments of excitement followed by major disappointment. There were scholarship complications, changing roster situations, and opportunities that disappeared without warning.

But we continued advocating for Susana and working through every obstacle until the right opportunity became available.

That is what we do at Recruited. We don’t disappear when a recruitment becomes difficult. We stay involved, maintain communication with coaches, search for new possibilities, and keep working to find the right outcome for our players.

We are incredibly proud to announce that Susana Souhrada is heading to Penn State for Fall 2026.

After all the setbacks, she found her home in the Big Ten—and we cannot wait to see the impact she makes.