VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota sophomore Ellie Burns was only 14 when she knew she wanted to come to America to play tennis. She traveled all the way from Edinburgh, Scotland, to compete at USD.
 
Tennis was one of the first sports Burns played. The main reason was her two older brothers, her role models, who she followed around everywhere. At first she played for fun and then started playing more seriously.
 
"I've been playing since I was six," said Burns. "I wanted to play because my brothers did. I wanted to join them whenever they went and played. That's how I got into it."   
 
Her love of tennis continued to grow and Burns began playing in a lot of tournaments. She knew there was another part that she had to be successful at to take her skills to the next level, her school work.
 
"I enjoyed playing in the tournaments," said Burns. "I couldn't play in them all the time because I had school as well. I knew I had to get good grades in exams and do well on the SAT. I knew I had to do well in the classroom and continued practicing tennis to make it to America. It's a big deal in Britain to want to come over to America, so it was always a goal of mine."
 
When making her decision on what college to attend, Burns looked at many factors. The main component was that a friend of hers, Maria Pandya, was also looking at USD. The duo are from different countries, but the bigger tournaments in Europe include multiple countries, which is how they met.
 
"We kept in touch through Facebook," said Burns. "We talked about where we wanted to go to college.   After I found out Maria was going to USD, it helped me make my decision because I wanted to go someplace where I knew someone."
 
Coming to Vermillion was a huge change for Burns. She came from a capital city with a lot of people to a small town. It was difficult at first with the difference in food and lifestyles. However, it was easier than some of her teammates because English is her first language.
 
The next step was choosing a major. That part was easy for Burns because she had a dream job in mind.
 
"My major is medical biology," said Burns. "I want to go to med school when I finish because I want to be a doctor. I'd like to work in emergency medicine."
 
Burns has high hopes for herself in the classroom and on the court. She has her hands full when it comes to classes, and has also won eight straight singles matches in a row.
 
Get to know Burns a little more:

1. Favorite athlete? Andy Murray. Each person on our tennis team likes a different professional player. Whenever the professionals are playing, there is definitely some competitiveness between the girls on the team.
2. Favorite food? Nando's, its super famous back home.
3. Favorite animal? Dog. I have a border collie.
4. Favorite color? Red
5. Best thing about USD? The team, we all get along really well.

 
South Dakota is back on the road and travels to Denver for a matchup with the Denver Pioneers Friday at 4 p.m.