CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It was a long journey to Corpus Christi for two players on the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders Women's Tennis team.
Both players are from Ukraine. They explained how they adjusted to playing in America and the connection they have shared for years.
"Coach Steve was just something that I feel like I was looking for in a team, and also the teammates," said Valeria Cherfus, a TAMU-CC senior. "They were really sweet, and very just united. So, I think that's, kind of like, it was kind of easy."
Cherfus began her collegiate tennis career at St. Petersburg College, a Florida junior college. She played there with current Islanders teammate Naomi Moi McKenzie and won a doubles championship with her. That's when she was discovered by Islanders Director of Tennis Steve Moore and eventually transferred to TAMU-CC.
She said she came to America—a goal while she was growing up in Ukraine—to get her education and play tennis. She said she wants to give it her best for her coaches and team before her tennis career ends.
"Embrace and feel and just understand that this is, like, the last moments of my career. So, I just want to give it the best," Cherfus said.
Cherfus and fellow Ukrainan Kateryna Rublevska are both standouts on the court. They were both on last year's Islanders team that won a Southland Conference title.
Cherfus was All-Conference First-Team Singles and Doubles and Southland Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. Rublevska was also All-Conference First-Team Doubles and said she knew Cherfus since they grew up in the same hometown, Kharkiv, Ukraine.
"We started at the same, like, with the same coach and we play doubles together now. So, she's just a special person for me," Rublevska said.
Rublevska joined the Islanders as a freshman and was the only Ukrainian on the team at the time. After Chefus transferred to the team, she said it became fun to be around her as her doubles partner.
When the Islanders won the conference title last year, Rublevska's dad flew to watch. She said it was the first time seeing him in more than a year and a half.
"We are all international, so, like, we don't get, like, our parents to watch us a lot," Rublevska explained. "But when they can make it or we have, like, a video streaming, like, it's just always, like, very nice."
Both players said they do not know what is next for them yet but are considering master's degrees and could stay in Corpus Christi.
When asked what she will remember from her time playing tennis in America, Rublevska said it was working hard every day with the team and special moments winning at the tournament.