Never underestimate the power of Taylor Swift.
Marina Hruba, a mid-year addition to the University of Hawaii women’s tennis team, hadn’t had an opportunity to meet her new teammates when she flew to Maui in early January to join the Rainbow Wahine in the Weinman Foundation Invitational.
It wasn’t long before she found a common bond with the team in … you guessed it.
“We were signing and dancing in the car all the way from the airport to the court,” Hruba said with a laugh.
Once on the court, Hruba has done more than simply blend in.
The 6-foot-1 freshman from the Czech Republic has won her first eight singles matches for the Rainbow Wahine, helping UH vault into the national rankings.
The Wahine (2-3) entered the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings at No. 67 following an upset of Arizona on Jan. 24 and face Cal Poly on Saturday at the UH Tennis Complex in their first Big West match of the season.
PROFILE
Marina Hruba
>> Sport: Tennis
>> Class: Freshman
>> Major:Second Language Studies
>> Hometown: Prague, Czech Republic
>> Last school: University of Life Sciences (Prague)
>> Quick facts: Placed third in the Czech Republic junior nationals in 2013 and third in the women’s national tournament last year. … Is the only tennis player in her family. “My parents always wanted me to do some sport, although they never thought I would love tennis so much.” … Helps her father, Karel Hruby, tend to 12 beehives her family owns. “It’s a lot of work but we enjoy doing it and we can eat honey as much as we want, so that’s a win-win situation.”
After meeting the team on Maui, Hruba opened her UH career by rallying to a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 win over Texas Tech’s Alex Valenstein. She has since picked up wins against players representing 11th-ranked Baylor, No. 56 Washington, No. 72 San Jose State and No. 64 Arizona.
“I didn’t expect that,” Hruba said of her fast start. “I was close to losing my first match, but I just try to do my best in every match and it’s worked so far.”
Hruba is also 5-3 in doubles with partner Paulina Petriskova and was named Big West Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week on Jan. 20.
Hruba, who started playing tennis at age 5, had aspirations of continuing her education while pursuing high-level tennis. But staying in Prague would have required a decision between the two goals.
By moving to the other side of the globe she was able to choose both.
UH coach Jun Hernandez said he first met Hruba at a tournament a couple of years ago during his annual summer trip to Europe. He didn’t think she was interested in attending school in the United States until he was awoken by a chime on his phone.
“I got a message in the middle of the night on my Facebook messenger (asking) if I still have a scholarship for this year,” Hernandez said. “I said ‘Yes, you’re coming.’ ”
Hruba hadn’t been to the U.S. before and was concerned something might derail her plans right up until she boarded the New Year’s Eve flight that would take her from Prague to Honolulu, with stops in Seoul and Tokyo along the way.
“I kind of didn’t believe that I would come here until I sat down on the airplane and said ‘whoa I’m really going,’” she said.
Hruba’s addition bolstered a UH lineup that returns junior Cindy Nguyen, a two-time NCAA tournament qualifier, and two seniors in Petriskova and Sarah Gealer.
Hernandez said Hruba grew up playing on clay courts but has made a smooth transition to playing on hard courts in the U.S. and her height and agility are obvious advantages in tracking down shots and adding power to her serves. But in pinpointing strengths of her game, Hernandez noted Hruba’s “day-in, day-out preparation.”
“I think she’s really strong mentally, really knows how to compete on the court,” Hernandez said. “She’ll find a way to win.”
