Women’s tennis player, Russia native, earns a national ranking for her outstanding play this fall season. Alisa Soloveva earned No. 95 as the Oracle ITA Division I rankings were announced.
Soloveva has many accomplishments to be proud of as an Eagle, including these highlights from her junior year (2019); being First-Team All-Conference in singles for three consecutive seasons, Second-Team All-Conference in doubles, as well as 19-1 dual match record at the No. 2 position. These are only to name a few of Soloveva’s accomplishments here at Winthrop.
This year will be Soloveva’s last season on the court for the Eagles.
“Since it’s my last season, my personal goals are to enjoy every single moment on the court and to do my best during practices and competitions,” Soloveva said.
Soloveva represented the Eagles nationally in the pre-qualifying rounds in the 2019 ITA All-American Championships, defeated an opponent from Oklahoma State in the first round to advance, later facing a tough loss against Princton’s Zoe Howard.
Soloveva continues to be a strong leader on and off the court for her teammates, showing hard work pays off in the classroom and on the court. Soloveva is preparing for the upcoming season with her teammates and believes the team has a lot of perseverance to go far.
“Everyone on the team worked really hard throughout the last semester. We all play and compete for each other and for sure it’s one of our biggest strengths,” Soloveva said.
As for the men’s team, this season the boys are eager to get out on the court and face their opponents. Senior, Connor Williamson has his eyes on the prize this season, just like any other.
“My main goal is to obviously win the Big South conference tournament because that is the main goal that our team works towards everyday,” Williamson said.
Williamson’s high points from his previous, junior year (2019), season were, he posted a 9-11 singles record, 3-5 in league play, at the No. 2 (3-7) and No. 3 (6-4) positions. Williamson achieved a 10-8 overall doubles record at all three positions alongside his teammates; Diego Quiroz (7-2), Lluis Miralles (2-5) and Leandros Pappayiannis (1-1).
Williamson sets high goals for himself and his teammates, on and off the court.
“Another goal of mine is to be a good role model for my team. Being a senior I have a lot of responsibilities on and off the court, in the weight room or even in the classroom. I believe that team chemistry is the key to success and I will do anything I can to help our team achieve that.”
The men’s team has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming season, in fights to claim the Big South title.
“I believe that our strengths coming into this year is our work ethic and competitiveness. We bring a lot of energy and fight into all of our practices and matches as well as strive to work to the best of our abilities every time we step on the court,” Williamson said.
Alongside Williamson, senior Bernardo Kayat, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aims to be a strong leader for his teammates as well. With four new freshman on the team the older Eagles have a role to fill, setting a good example on and off the court.
“I think that my main goal as a senior is to be a leader and an example on and off of the court so that I can be a good reference to the younger guys and help them maximize their potential, which will benefit the team as a whole,” Kayat said. “We have a very young team and it is important for the older guys to step up and make a difference in that aspect.”
With a lot of new faces for the team, the men’s tennis team is eager for the start of a new season. With new Eagles from Florida, Brazil, India and Slovenia, this season is going to have a new look of talent on the court.
“I think the team’s biggest strength is definitely talent. We are a very talented team all around and if we learn to channel all of that in the right direction, I think we can do great things,” Kayat said.
The men’s tennis season will begin on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. at Queens University of Charlotte. Come out and support their first home match on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. at the Rock Hill Tennis Center. The women’s team will begin their season on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3 p.m. at Wake Forest. The women’s tennis first home match will be on Friday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Rock Hill Tennis Center. Go Eagles!
