TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

This season, you have a 16-5 singles record and need just one more win to set a career-high. How happy are you that you seem to have set aside your best season for last?
It’s always nice to finish strong. You always like to improve upon what you started with and get as far as you can. I’m really glad the last season has been good.

This year, the team has gotten off to an 8-4 overall start. Heading into the heart of the MAC dual meet schedule, including home matches with Eastern Michigan and Toledo this weekend, how confident are you that the team can turn heads in the conference?
Confident. We had a little bump in the road against Western Michigan and Bowling Green, but I think that’s only made us stronger. We know what we have to do and we know what we’re up against. It’s a challenge this year and I think we’re going to step up to it. I think the rest of the season is going to be really good for us.

Last year, you became the school’s all-time leader in wins in singles and doubles. Did you expect to succeed continuously throughout your collegiate career when you first stepped on campus?
You always hope so. You always want to do the best you can and do better than the time before. You always try to one up yourself, so it’s been nice to continuously grow and do better.

Last season’s team finished with a UB-best four MAC wins and avoided a first round match in the MAC Tournament for the first time in school history. How proud are you of how far this team has gone since you stepped on campus?
I’m very proud. It’s nice to be a part of it. It’s nice to be a leader on the team and help guide everyone to get where we’ve gotten.

In the past two years, you have been surrounded in the lineup by two MAC Freshman of the Years in Miglena Nenova and Andreaa Novaceanu. How nice is it to go to practice each day and be able to compete against them?
It’s awesome. You always want to have good people to practice against. The better people you have to practice against, the better you’re going to do and the more you’re going to be prepared for. It’s been nice having them around. It’s always nice to have challenges.

This season, your main doubles partner is Natalie Dean, who is new to the team this year. Is it difficult at all to adjust to a new partner and how has Natalie been able to complement your style?
When you start playing with a new partner, there’s always going to be an adjustment period, but as long you keep your communication open, that’s the most important thing. Natalie complements my doubles game well. She’s a good server and a real aggressive player, so we do well together.

What’s it like being on a team with women from six different countries on the roster and to be the only player from America on the roster?
It’s a great experience. It diversified me. I’ve learned a lot about different cultures, different backgrounds. It’s a learning experience. You’re always seeing new things. It definitely helped me be more patient with everything. I remember when I first came they were all Americans and so now it’s totally flipped around, but I like it.

In high school, you went undefeated during the dual season in all five years you played and finished third at the state championship in 2000 and fifth in 2001. How difficult was it for you to adjust to the college game?
Not very difficult. I was used to playing national tournaments, so I prepared all of my junior career. That prepared me for college. There was an adjustment period, with expectations and nerves and everything, but I wasn’t in shock or anything.

Coming from Amherst High School, what made you decide four years ago that you wanted to play tennis for Coach Kathy Twist?
I wanted to stay near home and coach Twist seemed like a coach that was very well-rounded. She cares not only about tennis. She cares about academics, your personal life. She’s very complete. She’s worried about you being the best person you can be.

What has been your favorite moment as a UB athlete?
My favorite moment was probably this fall playing Miglena Nenova in the finals at the Bowling Green Invitational. We both worked so hard. We were so exhausted. It was a grueling tournament and we both made it to the finals. At that point, we were so happy to get there, it was just a nice match. We could actually relax. Of course, we both wanted to win, but it was just nice knowing that either way UB was going to end up one and two.

“The 10 Questions With…” feature is compiled by Joe Guistina.