By Chris Ray Skiff staff Stepping off the plane on a steamy August day four years ago, all freshmen Daria Zoldakova and Lucie Dvorakova could think about was how hot it was and how different Texas was from their homes, now far away. Dubbed the "Euro Duo" by the media, the players are now in their senior season. They have come a long way from the rolling hills of Europe to Fort Worth to the upper tier of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls in doubles action. Currently ranked No. 8 in the ITA polls, Zoldakova and Dvorakova are seeking a title they said they have earned, to be one of the elite doubles teams in the nation. "This is a great honor, and I feel we deserve it," said Dvorakova of the duo's ranking. "We are not thinking about winning and losing; we just play." Head coach Roland Ingram said he could not be happier with the girls so far. "I have coached two All-Americans in my career and (Dvorakova and Zoldakova) rank right up there; they are the best I have ever seen," Ingram said. Dvorakova, a senior from Nova Ves, Slovakia, and Zoldakova, a senior from Prague, Czech Republic, said they were just glad to get the chance to play tennis on the collegiate level. In Europe, there are no athletic programs at universities, Zoldakova said. She said the pair knew nothing about Texas or much about the United States before coming, but they wanted to play tennis in college.
Both Zoldakova and Dvorakova were glad to get the chance to play tennis in college, and when TCU and Ingram came knocking, the girls answered. "This was the only school I really knew about, it wasn't that hard of a choice," Dvorakova said. Looking to finish their careers atop the ITA rankings, the women have climbed the polls over the course of the season. Ingram said he has created a winning combination in the two. "They both have evolved since coming to me and have become comfortable on the court," he said. "When you're comfortable on the court, everything else falls into place. "They are a point we have come to count on throughout the year; they guarantee a point in the doubles. If they lose, they were beaten, simple as that; they did not beat themselves. Maybe it is the Slavic mentality that makes them such a good team." Ingram said recruiting is going global. In a recent match against Central Florida, there were two Americans on the court and both were dawning the purple and white of TCU. "If you want to win, you have to look outside the United States and go where the talent is," Ingram said. "I can get on the Internet and recruit all over the world and let them know scholarships are their's for the taking." Dvorakova and Zoldakova have adapted well to the American way of life, but they said they still miss the little things about home. "The cultures here are so different and the people here are so laid back; it is just more relaxed here," said Zoldakova. With graduation only a few short months away, the women said they are looking ahead to the remainder of the season and the Western Athletic Conference championships April 28 to 30 in Fort Worth. "SMU and Fresno State should be very good, and we will have to play hard throughout the tourney," Zoldakova said. "They are all our friends and it is just a tennis match.
Throughout this season, the "Euro Duo" is 17-2 on the year and has been topping the competition at the No. 1 doubles spot for the Frogs. In singles action, Dvorakova is 11-3 and 4-0 in dual-match play at the No. 1 singles position. Zoldakova is 15-5 on the year currently playing out of the No. 3 singles spot. Although the women said they would like to go on the pro tour, they think it is time to relax and get back to life as people rather than as student athletes. Despite the fact that neither of the two see the pro tour in their future, they said they would like to try it out just to see what the competition is like. "It takes extreme dedication and a lot of money and coaching to make it on the pro tour," Zoldakova said. "I am just ready to do something else and play tennis on a recreational level. "Maybe I could become a coach, that would be nice." No matter the end result for the Frogs' pair, the duo said the best is yet to come for them both. "We want to finish off our careers with a win and the national title, only the best," Zoldakova said. Zoldakova and Dvorakova said they are looking to the WAC Tournament and then on to the NCAA Regionals and finally the NCAA Championships. Whether the duo finishes atop the nation in doubles action or not, those close to the team have said the duo has brought attention to TCU and made a name for themselves in the process as one of the best in their distinct class of women's tennis players across the nation. The duo that has brought notoriety to the tennis program first had to overcome an unexpected obstacle. The "Euro Duo" was met with high temperatures and blistering heat. "My first thought getting off the plane was 'I can't breathe, it is so hot,'" Dvorakova said. Dvorakova said that in her first official practice with the team, she had to take many breaks to acclimate to the climate. "All I could think about was how my feet were on fire and how the sun was beating down on me," Zoldakova said. The women said the climate was their biggest opponent to date, and now the two take on their next opponent - the tournament field of the WAC and the top doubles tandems in the nation.
Chris Ray
By Chris Ray Skiff staff The men's tennis team didn't spend its spring break on the beach, but on the court defending their No. 15 Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking. On March 11, the Frogs defeated unranked Memphis University 7-0. With the win the Frogs notched their eighth straight win. Leading the Frogs was the No. 15 ranked All-American junior Esteban Carril of Gijon, Spain. Carril defeated Richard Magney in two tie-break sets, 7-6, 7-6, at the No. 1 singles spot. Carril returned to the lineup after missing the dual-match contest against the UTA Mavericks on Thursday. With the win, Carril improves to 19-3 on the season and 9-1 in dual-match play all at the No. 1 slate. TCU junior Trace Fielding defeated Daniel Demacek of Memphis, 6-7, 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 2 singles spot. After dropping the first set in a close tie-breaker, Fielding regrouped and captured the next two sets. Fielding surrendered one set in the ladder two sets of the match. Fielding improves to 19-7 on the year. At the No. 3 spot, freshman 66th-ranked Antonio Gordon easily ousted junior Alistair Todd of Memphis, 6-1, 7-6. Gordon, a native of Barcelona, Spain, is 15-5 on the season, which began in January because he did not participate in the fall season due to ineligibility. In doubles, the Frogs swept all three matches as they captured the doubles point. At the No. 1 doubles, the Horned Frog team of Scott Eddins and Jimmy Haney ousted the Tiger's team of Todd and Ben Stapp, 9-7. Haney and Eddins are 14-4 on the season and 5-3 at the No. 1 spot. The Frogs have captured the doubles point 10 times this year while surrendering it twice, both at the Corpus Christi Invitational last week. Overall, TCU is 9-1 when they win the doubles point. TCU then took on the No. 5 ranked Pepperdine Waves March 14, and lost a tough fought match 4-3. Pepperdine put the brakes on the Frogs eight-match winning streak, and kept improving on their undefeated season, as they move to a perfect 12-0. TCU falls to 11-2 on the season and picked up three singles wins from freshman Scott Eddins, freshman Antonio Gordon, and redshirt freshman Jimmy Haney. The Frogs lost the all important doubles point, surrendering all three doubles matches. At the No. 1 singles spot, Robert Kendrick defeated TCU's Esteban Carril, 6-3, 6-4 in straight sets. At the No. 2 spot, junior Trace Fielding lost in straight sets to Al Garland, 6-2, 6-3. Eddins defeated Sebastien Graeff, 6-3, 7-5. Gordon also picked up the straight set win over Chase Exon, 6-2, 6-3. Haney picked up the win out of the No. 6 singles spot over Anthony Ross, 6-2, 7-5. The Frogs come off the loss and head into a tough portion of the season where they will face No. 3 ranked Duke Saturday at 2 p.m. on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Chris Ray
By Chris Harrison staff reporter The TCU women's golf team improved one place to finish third after the final round of the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Classic in Austin on Sunday. San Jose State University shot a three-round 923 to win the tournament. The University of Texas at Austin placed second with a total of 930, and TCU finished nine strokes off of the pace at 932. In the final round, TCU and UT passed Purdue University, who was in second place after the second round. "Overall we held it together, even though we really didn't play as well as we would have liked to," said senior Angela Stanford. "We pulled ahead in the last day of the tournament to finish in third place, which was a good feeling. "We just didn't play or score like we should have in this tournament. We have some practice ahead of us." TCU had four golfers who finished in the individual top 20. Stanford and sophomore Lori Sutherland tied for sixth with a three-round 230. Stanford shot an 80 in the final round to stay in sixth while Sutherland improved from 22nd, shooting a 73. They both finished seven shots behind University of Nebraska's Sarah Sasse, the tournament winner, and New Mexico State's Sasha Medina. Freshman Shannon Barr and sophomore Jennifer Patterson tied for 20th with a 54-hole 236. Head coach Angie-Ravioli Larkin said placing third was acceptable, but she really thought they could have won the tournament from the beginning. "We just didn't score well and it is as straight forward as that," Larkin said. "I feel like we have performed under our capability all year long, and (this score) is a little frustrating. "After we won our last tournament at Bear Creek and tasted a win which really got our momentum going, I thought we had something going. The reality is, we just didn't play well this weekend." Larkin said with regionals coming up the team is going to have to turn the practice notch up a level or two. "Everybody really needs to work on course management and their scoring," said Larkin. "We really need to work on the simple things that create the basics of the game, like being able to make par from anywhere on the course. "Learning how to manage the golf course and not letting the golf course manage you is really important. Over the next two months we are going to be practicing until our hands bleed and practicing until our backs hurt. It is going to take good old-fashioned hard work, and we are going to be learning how to grind it out." The TCU women's golf team will be back in action at the Lady Sun Devil on April 7 to 9 in Phoenix, Ariz.
Chris Harrison |
Ingram said that he waited until the middle of the women's
junior years to put them together, and the two have never looked back.
"We have to give all our credit to our coach; coach
Ingram is like a father to all of us. We are so far from home and go back
only for Christmas and summer. He is our father the other nine months of
the year. He cares a lot and is more than a coach to us."| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |