Senior netters ready for final home matches
4/11/2013 12:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Three seniors who came from the other side of the globe to play tennis for Sam Houston State University will take the court for their last home matches this weekend.
Nadia Dubyanskaya, Tanya Postnikova and Sheridan Currie will be looking to help the Bearkats nail down their ninth consecutive Southland Conference post-season tournament bid when the SHSU tennis team plays host to Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas Saturday and Sunday.
First serve for both matches is 10 a.m. at the McAdams Tennis Center.
Dubyanskaya and Postnikova are Russians from Togiatty, Samara Oblast and Petropavlovsk, Kazahstan, respectively. Currie is from Mount Pleasant near Perth, Australia.
During the past four years the trio has combined for 164 singles victories and 123 doubles wins for the Bearkats. All three have enjoyed three have enjoyed their three-and-a-half years at Sam Houston and will be leaving with their degrees.
“We all came in at mid-year between the fall and spring semesters,” Postnikova recalls. “I will never forget the first day I came here. I had to wait by myself in the airport and then meeting everyone here on campus. I was so scared. But it has turned out to be a great experience.”
All three found Sam Houston State through the internet.
“We all were searching for an opportunity to attend university and play tennis. We got in touch with coach (Jim Giachino) through the internet,” Dubyanskaya said. “It was a long process but everyone here on campus and in the tennis community has made us feel at home.”
All three seniors now rank among the top 10 “winningest” women's tennis players in Sam Houston history.
Dubyanskaya stands tied for second in career singles victories with 60. Postnikova ranks No. 4 in all-time singles wins with 57 and Currie stands No. 8 with 47.
Of all their victories, Currie remembers Sam Houston's upset of number 2 seeded Texas State at the Southland tournament above all the others. With the Bearkats and the Bobcats tied 3-all, Currie was battling in the third set of the number three singles with victory or defeat for the team on her shoulders.
“I'll never forget that match,” Currie said. “I had lost to that girl in three sets during the regular season and here we were in the third set again. I had several match points but she just kept getting the ball back. Finally she hit one in the net on a match point and we won. It was unbelievable.”
Dubyanskaya's lasting memory of her tennis at Sam Houston came in a similar situation in a 3-all dual match in Huntsville against Texas-San Antonio.
“I was injured and my match was the last one on the courts,” Dubyanskaya said. “Everyone was cheering me on. It was so exciting to win.”
The three seniors have been successful in doubles as well.
Dubyanskaya and Postnikova rank as Sam Houston's second all-time “winningest” doubles pairing. Currie, who has played with a variety of partners in her four seasons, has totaled 60 career doubles wins, the third highest total for a Bearkat individual.
With the season drawing to a close, the Sam Houston women's tennis team is focused on the upcoming Southland Conference post-season tournament to be held in Beaumont Friday April 26 through Sunday April 28.
“We got to the semifinals at last year's tournament and know anything is possible in the post season,” Currie said. “Four of our conference losses have been by a score of 4-3 and all the individual matches were close. We know it's a matter of being focused and continuing to work hard.”
Following graduation, each of the three seniors have different plans.
“I'll be going back home,” Currie said. “I have an internship in a health program at Curtin University in Perth and look to get my Master's degree as well.”
Dubyanskaya is looking forward to time off before entering the work force.
“I'm going home and taking a vacation,” the senior said. “I've been working hard for thre-and-a-half years and ready for some down time. Then I will be looking to get a job in banking.”
Postnikoya looks to remain in the United States a bit longer.
“I want to get into a Master's program in sports management,” she said. “I would like to go into coaching.”
