Bearkat newcommers having to learn quick
3/29/2010 3:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Tennis isn't the only thing a pair of Sam Houston State newcommers have had to learn this year -- speaking English has been one of the many hurdles they have had to clear in helping the Bearkats to a 5-1 start in Southland Conference play.
Sam Houston State University freshman tennis players Nadia Dubyanskaya and Tatyana Postnikova have made a strong impact on their team this season. Head coach Jim Giachino is impressed at how quickly the girls' have hit the ground running since they arrived at Sam Houston in January from Russia.
"Nadia and Tatyana have a lot of talent and are very passionate when it comes to competing," said Giachino. "We are really lucky to have these girls and they are wonderful both athletically and academically."
Dubyanskaya is from Togliatty, Samra Oblast in Russia. She ranked No. 18 in Russian juniors and No. 44 in the European Tennis Association juniors. She is majoring in communication and speech and is passionate about tennis. In a match against Western Michigan she was the last player on the court in a match that was tied in the final set. While she lost the match, she still works hard to improve the way she plays the game.
"It is difficult to be a good player, it takes a lot of practice," said Dubyanskaya. "When you are a good player people hope that you will always win, but you can not always win. When I am on the court I have two opponents in the match; the player from the other team and myself. I am a very emotional player and when it comes to playing the game I want to win."
Aside from her loss against Western Michigan, Dubyanskaya struggled in January and February with an injured back and shin splints. With a strong determination and encouragement from her team, she fought through the pain and remained successful.
"Nadia can get very upset with herself when she plays in matches, but she is a fighter. Once she learns to fight against her opponent and not herself, she will improve significantly," said Giachino.
Postnikova is from Petroppavlovsk, Kazahkstan. She has a ITF ranking of 507 and is a doubles champion of Kazahkstan. She is No. 6 in junior doubles nationally and is a general studies major. She has had to adapt to the high level of competition on the court, but is confident that she will learn to adjust to playing on a team.
"The level of competition here is much higher," said Petroppavlovsk. "It is hard because while your team supports you, they also depend on you. I am not used to the pressure of playing on a team because I played on my own in Russia. However, this team is very strong and the coaches are helpful so I am just working hard to get better."
The girls' have had to go through many obstacles while they have been here, the biggest one being that they do not know very much English. When they first got here they could not understand or speak any English. They have greatly improved over the last few months and are grateful to have the opportunity to have an education in America. They enjoy supporting Sam Houston athletics by attending other sporting events.
"Everyone here is very supportive, they genuinely want to help you," said Dubyanskaya. "It is important to have people who believe in you. I look to my mom for support because I know that I can talk to her about anything and that she is going to continue to encourage me to be successful. I am glad that I chose to come here, it is a very good experience."
