The sport of tennis is at the forefront of Mississippi State University athlete Athina Pitta’s life. Pitta has played tennis her entire life and has now turned her talents to Mississippi State’s team. Pitta, a sophomore, has won 31 matches for Mississippi State and enjoys the support of the Bulldogs fans at each match.
Growing up in Thessaloniki, Greece, Pitta honed her skills through a variety of competitions in Europe. Some of these include winning a bronze medal at the U14 European Summer Cup and claiming a Grade 5 title at the J5 Paralimni. Pitta then moved her talents from Greece to America. But she knew her next decision on where she would attend school would be important for her athletic and academic careers.
She toured several colleges but settled on Mississippi State because of Emmanouela Antonaki, a Greek tennis player who graduated from MSU in 2023. Pitta said she was proud that Antonaki pulled her in this direction because she might never have considered MSU without her. Pitta said the Bulldogs family has been nothing but kind and welcoming to her since she arrived.
“There was a Greek girl here. Her name was Emmanouela, and I was close to her and talking to her. I visited here and some other universities,” Pitta said. “I was told that when you step into a university, it will call to you, and that is what happened with Mississippi State.”
Pitta recalled how she got into tennis. Her parents pushed her to try many different sports, but tennis called her name, and that is what she fell in love with. She credits her parents with her love of the sport.
“So, since I was a kid, my parents tried to get me into sports, and I fell in love with tennis,” Pitta said. “I have been playing since I was four.”
Pitta reminisced about her favorite parts of playing at Mississippi State, including playing with her former double partner, graduate Alexandra Mikhailuk. She said she has made many memories throughout her time at Mississippi State. Pitta says that she prefers doubles play because she enjoys playing with a partner.
“One of my favorite memories here was when we one doubles with Alex last year, that was really fun,” Pitta said. “Going into nationals, getting third place and representing Greece was really cool.”
Despite Pitta being from Greece, she fell in love with Mississippi State’s traditions, particularly the cowbell and the fans who are always willing to talk to the players and make them feel like a vital part of the MSU family. The fans are some of her favorite interactions on campus. She loves how welcoming they are to the players. She said the small-town feel of Starkville eased her into this new environment.
“I love the fans, how can you walk on campus, walk on the street, and go out to eat,” Pitta said. “They will also talk to you, and if you are in gear, they get to know you, and they want to learn what sport you play.”
Pitta also juggles being a full-time architecture major and a student-athlete. Although Pitta is passionate about tennis, she plans to focus on her architecture career after college and hopes to work at a firm in her home country.
“It’s very tough, but I try to handle it because I really like architecture and I also want to do really good with the team,” Pitta said, “so I try to balance both.”
In her two years at Mississippi State, Pitta has won an ITA Southern Regional with her doubles partner Alexandra Mikhailuk in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fans will see Pitta in Maroon and White when the season starts this fall.
