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Margarita Kotok’s voice rises above the rest. Whether she’s cheering on a teammate or coaching a player, it’s impossible not to hear her.

“She doesn’t need a microphone,” said Dayana Agasieva, who Kotok played with at the University at Buffalo from 2014 to 2016. “She was perfect to start getting everybody pumped up.”

That energy was best represented late in Kotok’s junior season in the 2015-16 campaign. From the sideline, Kotok, a rising star at UB, riled up her squad through a tight match. After each point won, she applauded loudly. As Buffalo claimed the final point, Kotok’s shouts of encouragement became cheers of celebration.

Now, as an assistant coach with Syracuse, Kotok is cheering once again. Following an illustrious career with the Bulls, Kotok guided Rochester’s men’s and women’s programs for nearly seven years. In August 2025, Kotok was hired at SU, hoping to bring the Orange similar accomplishments.

“She knows how to win,” Buffalo head coach Kristen Maines said. “She has a wide range of perspective, and that makes her approachable and relatable to her athletes.”

Kotok’s tennis journey began an hour and a half from Buffalo in Macedon, New York. At age 7, she attended camps hosted by the University of Rochester and took private lessons under Rochester head coach Matt Nielsen.

In her early teens, Kotok began competing in East Coast junior tournaments, where she met Agasieva. While tennis introduced them, their heritage united them. Both of their mothers speak Russian, helping the two form a lifelong friendship.

Margarita Kotok (right) stands with Syracuse head coach Younes Limam (left) during SU’s match against Fordham on Jan. 18. Kotok recently finished her first season as Limam’s assistant at Syracuse. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer

After graduating from Ruben A. Cirillo High School (New York), Kotok made an immediate impact at Buffalo. Even as a walk-on, she accumulated a 22-8 singles record as a freshman. In the Mid-American Conference Tournament Quarterfinals, she contributed a singles win in straight sets in Buffalo’s 4-1 victory over Toledo.

“Growing up, I don’t think her game really accurately reflected her ability,” Maines said of Kotok. “She was a diamond in the rough when we first were looking at her.”

Kotok’s success continued into her sophomore season, and she was increasingly trusted in high-pressure situations. Maines slotted her in the first and second singles spots throughout the spring, where she finished 9-9. She also posted a 15-8 doubles record, highlighted by an undefeated MAC record alongside Agasieva.

As a junior, Kotok went undefeated at the second doubles spot, remaining one of the team’s best doubles players. Although she was an underdog to start her collegiate career, her competitive spirit made her one of the most feared players in the MAC.

“She was a tough competitor,” Maines said. “She left it all out there on the court.”

In her senior year, Kotok broke records. She set the Bulls’ single-season doubles victory record with 26, which still stands today. She also led Buffalo to a MAC Tournament title by clinching the doubles point in the championship match.

But you didn’t need to watch Kotok play to see her success. Just check the rest of the Bulls’ record books, which feature Kotok’s third-best doubles record in school history — 80-34 across four seasons.

In addition to breaking records, Kotok was an ardent supporter of her peers. Agasieva lived with Kotok and said her selfless qualities were always evident.

“It doesn’t matter what time of the day, whether it’s 8 p.m. or 8 a.m., and we need to go grocery shopping, (Kotok) was always willing to take us to the grocery store,” Agasieva said.

After graduating from Buffalo in 2017, Kotok stayed nearby at Division III Rochester. She accepted an assistant coaching job with the Yellowjackets under Nielsen.

The courts that once shaped her game became the courts where she shaped others. For seven seasons, Kotok coached Rochester’s men’s and women’s teams alongside Nielsen, drawing on her Buffalo experience to educate players.

“I think she has a good personality for coaching,” Nielsen said. “She’s pretty intense in terms of like, she wants to win. She’s able to relate to the players.”

Of all the relationships Kotok formed at Rochester, her bond with Abbey Reinhart was most meaningful. Kotok joined the Yellowjackets when Reinhart was a sophomore and coached her for the rest of her career.

They first started working closely in the 2017-18 offseason to address Reinhart’s late-season slump. Kotok suggested that the two visualize winning matches before taking the court, and it worked. The next season, she went 10-12, an improvement from her 9-15 record a season prior. By the end of her career, Reinhart said she just wanted to improve for Kotok.

“I think it could have been easy for her to just be like ‘Go read and do these things,’ and then never follow up on it,” Reinhart said. “She was really invested in me.”

Kotok was named the 2019 D-III Northeast Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for her role in Rochester’s 12-8 season. After almost seven years there, she took a break from coaching to work as the director of afterschool and summer programming for the Wayne County School District in New York.

But she couldn’t stay off the court for long. A year after leaving Rochester, Kotok joined Syracuse, where she’s trying to lead the Orange to the same heights she reached as a player.

“Seeing her achieve her goals, that’s what you wish for all of your athletes,” Maines said. “I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Published on May 4, 2026 at 11:35 pm
Contact Ben: bglofy@syr.edu