Staff Directory

Valeriya Zeleva

Title:
Head Coach
Email:

Valeriya Zeleva was named the head coach of the University of Houston Tennis program in May 2026, bringing experience from one of the nation’s top collegiate programs, a strong background in player development, and a unique perspective shaped by her journey as an international and collegiate student-athlete.

Zeleva joins Houston following three seasons as an assistant coach at Auburn University, where she helped guide the Tigers through one of the most successful stretches in program history. During her time on The Plains, Auburn improved from No. 17 nationally in 2024 to No. 8 in 2025 before reaching the No. 1 ranking in both the ITA and UTR collegiate rankings in 2026. The Tigers reached the 2026 NCAA Championship Final, captured the program’s first-ever SEC Regular Season Championship and SEC Tournament Championship, qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of her three seasons, and advanced to the 2026 ITA Indoor National Championship semifinals.

As a member of the Auburn coaching staff, Zeleva contributed to daily training, technical development, match preparation, and building a championship environment for student-athletes. During her tenure, Auburn players earned 10 NCAA All-American distinctions and reached some of the highest individual rankings in program history.
Zeleva helped guide several Auburn student-athletes to outstanding individual success. DJ Bennett became the first player in Auburn history to reach the No. 1 ITA singles ranking, earned four NCAA All-American honors, and advanced to the 2026 NCAA Singles Championship Final. Carolyn Ansari reached No. 6 nationally in the ITA singles rankings, earned NCAA All-American honors, and continued her professional career after Auburn by reaching a career-high No. 251 WTA singles ranking. Merna Refaat earned NCAA All-American honors and became one of Auburn’s top nationally ranked singles players, while Ava Hrastar and Ava Esposito also earned NCAA All-American honors while contributing to Auburn’s continued national success.

Auburn also achieved significant success in doubles during Zeleva’s time with the program. DJ Bennett and Ava Hrastar reached the 2024 NCAA Doubles Championship semifinals. In 2026, DJ Bennett and Ava Esposito also reached the No. 2 national doubles ranking, the highest doubles ranking in Auburn program history..
Zeleva also helped develop players who continued to achieve success beyond collegiate tennis. Angella Okutoyi reached a career-high No. 414 WTA singles ranking while at Auburn, while Ekaterina Khairutdinova reached a career-high No. 465 WTA singles ranking and became an important contributor to Auburn’s championship season.

Prior to beginning her coaching career, Zeleva built a successful career as a player at the international and collegiate levels. A native of Moscow, Russia, she was a member of the Russian Women’s National Tennis Team and represented Russia as a member of the Russian Junior National Team. She reached a top 5 national ranking in Russia, achieved a No. 28 ITF Junior World Ranking, and earned a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 539.

Zeleva continued her playing career at the University of Central Florida from 2019-2021, where she became one of the most decorated players in program history. Competing primarily at the No. 1 singles and doubles positions, she reached career-high rankings of No. 17 nationally in singles and No. 7 nationally in doubles. She became the first player in UCF history to qualify for both the NCAA Singles and NCAA Doubles Championships in the same season.

During her time with the Knights, Zeleva was named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year twice (2019, 2021) and earned Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in 2019. She helped lead UCF to two American Athletic Conference championships, a program-best No. 7 national ranking, and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.

Zeleva’s experiences as a player and coach have shaped her approach to developing student-athletes and building a positive, competitive team culture. At the University of Houston, she is committed to helping student-athletes grow both on and off the court while building a program that competes for Big 12 championships and success on the national stage.

Zeleva is a native of Moscow, Russia, and is married to Harrison Kollias.