One of the most decorated players in Lamar University history, Nikita Lis is in his first season as an assistant coach with the Cardinals.
During his historical career with the Cardinals, Lis has been a part of the NCAA Championships as a member of a nationally ranked doubles team, two NCAA qualifying squads and now as an assistant coach. Lis' experience was key in 2018 helping guide the Cardinals' youthful lineup, which consisted of four freshmen, back to the NCAA Championships for a third consecutive season.
A seven-time All-Southland Conference selection, Lis guided the Cardinals to one of the more successful runs in program history. As a junior, Lis helped the Cardinals end a 40-year drought by winning the Southland Conference regular-season title and earning an ITA national ranking. The Cardinals continued their success by winning the 2016 SLC tournament title and advance to the NCAA Championships. The Cardinals repeated their success in 2017 by winning a share of the conference regular-season title and once again advancing to the NCAA Championship following their victory in the SLC tournament finals.
Along with teammate Michael Feucht, Lis advanced to the NCAA Championships in three consecutive seasons - twice with the team as well as the 2015 NCAA Doubles Championships. As a doubles team, Lis and Feucht climbed into the ITA Doubles Top 25 rankings. Lis closed out his career by being a four-time first-team All-Southland selection.
