At 12 years old, Quentin Coulaud left his home in Saint-Brieuc, France to pursue a dream. Eleven years later, on a frigid December morning, he walks into the Thalhimer Tennis Center with his body enclosed in a large-black coat and a racket in hand. His dream is alive.
 
Coulad's journey started when he was a small child. His parents both played tennis in their free time. Driven by a competitive spirit, it was not long before he was engrossed in the sport,
 
"I lost a few matches and I didn't want to lose again so I went back to it again and again until I started to win," he said.
 
As Coulad's love for the sport grew, he soon had to make a pivotal choice; continue to live a traditional childhood in Saint-Brieuc, competing locally or attend Collège Anne de Bretagne over two hours away in Saint-Herblain. The effects of the decision were daunting given his age, 
 
"My mom didn't really want me to leave," Coulaud said. "She was very uncertain because I was so young at 12 years old, but for me it was a great tennis academy so I had to take that chance to improve my skills because tennis was my dream. It was such a good opportunity, I couldn't turn it down. My mom finally accepted it, even though she didn't really want me to, but she understood my goals."
 
As Coulaud aged at Anne de Bretagne, his skills began to flourish. At 16, he chose to attend Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Nice to further develop his talents. 
 
He spent two years at Muratoglou. Soon after turning 18, graduation began to near and so too did another crossroads in his career. Coulaud began to contemplate his next step. At first glance, the path forward seemed clear. He dreamed of playing professional tennis and because of personal skepticism toward the level of competition, he downplayed the opportunity to play collegiate tennis at an American university.
 
Coulaud decided to compete in futures tournaments throughout Europe, but after encountering some early struggles, he grew frustrated and the initial enthusiasm his new-life chapter started to fade. Meanwhile, his friends playing college tennis in America began to relay first impressions of their new lives. The experiences did not correlate to Coulaud's initial beliefs and he began to reevaluate his decision.
 
Coulaud skepticism waned, replaced by excitement for a now promising opportunity. He decided to open his recruitment. After receiving offers from several major universities, including VCU, he chose to attend Georgia State University.
 
Soon after arriving on campus, he realized his new life would take some getting used to. The transition to the collegiate level can be challenging for any athlete, add a major cultural adjustment and a large distance between immediate family and the challenge grows. Coulaud had left his loved ones before, but this was different,
 
"My first few years I was homesick, so homesick, even though at Georgia state I had very good people around me," he said. "I wouldn't feel good and so that was such a big challenge. Tennis wise it was more getting used to the level, because the level was stronger than I ever imagined."
 
Coulaud persevered. He slowly began to adjust to his new surroundings and his competitive mentality drove him to find success on the court. 
 
He improved each season with the Cougars. Last year as a senior, he was competing in the No. 1 singles position, earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors in March and ended the year with five-straight doubles wins with his partner Bailey Showers. The duo had their eyes set on the Sun Belt doubles title before the tournament was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Despite his success, Coulaud felt something was missing. The competitive spirit that drove him along journey had stabilized. After four years in Atlanta, he began to explore what it would look like to close out his college career dawning a different uniform and embracing a new challenge. 
 
He decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal and reflected on his first recruitment,
 
"I was talking to Paul Kostin prior to my freshman year, but I didn't pick VCU and then I heard about the new program that Anthony [Rossi] was running and I heard a lot of good things."
 
Back in Richmond, when Rossi saw Coulaud's name in the portal, there was an immediate connection,
 
"He's from my home country," Rossi said. "He has the experience, he's a good doubles player, everything that we were missing. It was a no brainer for me."
 
Adding a new player to a team that has won three-straight conference championships is not without risk, team chemistry is a vital component of success and the addition of a new personality that does not fit on and off the court can cause disruption.
 
However, over the course of the fall semester, Coulaud appears to have made the transition to his new team seamlessly. His competitive personality makes him an easy fit on the fiery Ram's roster. 
 
Moments of silence in the tennis center between the hours of 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. are rare. Euphoric shouts are heard when a shot paints a sideline, quickly followed by sounds of furious disappointment from across the net. When silence does happen to consume the building, it is immediately interrupted with a "Let's go Rams," as if it is not allowed.  
 
Coulaud is right in the middle of the competitive banter. For the newcomer, a well-placed shot gets an emphatic fist pump. A celebration he has displayed since the age of ten as a way to stay positive on the court.
 
Coulaud's lively personality on and off the court has helped keep the teams' spirit high in the midst of long months of uncertainty for college athletes around the country.
 
"It is always fun to be around him," senior Inigio Torre Martin said. "He's a nice guy. Whenever the environment gets a little boring, he makes it like a little bit spicy."
 
As spring approaches, Coulaud and his new teammates anxiously await the upcoming season. For Coulaud, it will once again mark the beginning of a new chapter in his journey that has been filled with change, but this beginning looks to be different than those of his past. He has found a family that bears some resemblance to the one he left behind five years ago in his home country.
 
This year's Rams roster features seven players from five different countries, all bonded by the sacrifices they have made to chase their dreams in a country half a world away.
 
"They all left their families and so did RJ [Nagel] and myself," Rossi said. "We know were away from home and I think that really helps to have everybody in the same boat. We pretty much all struggled when we first came to the U.S. We all know what it's all about, the struggles that we go through and so that makes us closer."
 
With his new family behind him, Coulaud has rekindled his competitive fire. He is ready to prove that he can play professional tennis when the curtain closes on his college career. The dream he began to chase when he took the first step out of his home in Saint-Brieuc more than a decade ago.