UR’s Women’s Tennis team swept the competition at Ithaca College and Nazareth on April 2nd and 4th. Sophomore Alex Wolkoff was extremely successful at both competitions. At Ithaca, Wolkoff won 8-1 at doubles and defeated her opponent 6-4, 6-0 at singles. The sophomore won by the same double score at Nazareth and defeated her singles opponent by a score of 6-1, 6-1. The sweep at the rival Golden Flyers is the ‘Jackets’ third consecutive team win, moving UR to a record of 5–5 overall.
What got you into playing tennis?
I played soccer for most of my life. Once I got to high school, however, I was getting bored with the sport and wanted to try something new. My aunt was a tennis coach, and so I decided to ask her if she could give me a few lessons. Since freshman year of high school, I fell in love with the sport, and have been playing ever since.
What professional players do you look up too?
My favorite player is Roger Federer because he plays with so much class and respect.
You played a very good game against Ithaca on Saturday. How do you feel about your performance, and what was going through your mind?
I felt pretty good about my match against Ithaca. I went into the match confident and told myself to play my own game. I really try to play to win instead of playing not to lose.
What did you work on in the off-season to make sure you were ready for this season, in order to become a better overall player?
We always had captains practice, and, at these practices, there was a high emphasis on fitness. I think that was key for the spring—the team was already in shape instead of having to get into shape.
Tennis is usually an individual sport (unless you’re playing doubles), but how do your teammates help you before, during, and after a match?
College tennis is very team-orientated. Your team is your support group. In order to win a match, you need to win five out of the nine matches, and so every match counts. While on the court, everyone cheers for each other and motivates one another to do well. Off the court, everyone just wants to help each other in anyway possible—not just tennis related. I love my team!
If you had a choice of a hamburger patty with two glazed donuts for the buns or a pizza with fries wrapped in a tortilla, which one would you choose?
I would choose pizza and fries, because pizza is one of my favorite foods!
