Q&A With All-American Laura Vallverdu
July 23, 2008
Two-time All-American Laura Vallverdu is coming off one of the most successful seasons in UM history after finishing her sophomore year with 31 singles wins in the team’s No. 1 position. One of just three players in program history to have recorded at least 30 singles wins in back-to-back seasons, Vallverdu has more career singles wins through her sophomore season (63) than any player in UM history. She recently took some time away from her summer workout schedule to talk to Hurricanesports.com about last year, her offseason training and her upcoming junior season.
How have your offseason workouts been going?
Good. I took some time off for a couple weeks after the NCAA Tournament and have been out practicing on my own since. I am going to play in a couple ITA Summer Circuit tournaments with Kissell (UM teammate Michaela) and I’m pretty excited about that. I’ve been working out in the afternoons, getting some time on the court with Jeff (assistant coach) and in the weight room with Cols (strength coach).
Is there anything in particular you are working on before the fall season starts?
I’ve started to work with a newer model of my racquet so I’ve been feeling it out and getting used it. In practice, I’m mainly focusing on my footwork and my positioning when I hit the ball. I’ve also been working on my serve some too.
You’ve been training with former teammate and 2007 NCAA singles champ Audra Cohen this summer. What kind of influence and impact has she had on your game?
Right after NCAA’s, I went out to Los Angeles to watch her play in a challenger event and since then, we’ve been working out and practicing together in Miami. It’s been nice. It is different to play with her now, it’s a different experience. She has helped me a lot in terms of me seeing a different ball, a harder ball, and doing different drills. It’s a great learning tool for me to play with such a talented player.
Overall, how did your first season as the team’s No. 1 singles and doubles player go?
It was a dynamic situation. Even though I was playing No. 1, I had three seniors above me and it made it difficult for me sometimes to be team leader off the court. I felt like a leader when we got out on the court though, but I was just a sophomore. Last fall, it was nerve-racking for me. I was playing in individual tournaments, but I didn’t know what it would be like to play No. 1 during team competition. I remember talking to Paige (head coach) and asking how I was going to do it. She would tell me, “It’s just another match, go out there and treat it like one.” I had a few ups and downs the first couple weeks of the season but it’s just like anything else, once you get used to something, you know you’ll be fine.
Playing No. 1 is the best scenario I can ask for. You get to play all of the best players and you have the opportunity to compete in all of the big tournaments. There is never a day off when you play in the top position. You know as soon as one match is over, the next is against another team’s top player.
As the most experienced player returning next season, how do you think your role change will change, if at all?
I enjoy being a leader and we’re going to be a young team. I’m comfortable with all of the returning girls and we know what to expect from each other. Michaela and Bianca showed they are hard workers and once the newcomers get settled in and used to our team, I know we’ll be ready to go. I’m definitely looking forward to next season.
What are your goals and expectations heading into next season?
Personally, I’m not sure where I’ll start the season in the rankings – hopefully around 11 or 12 – but I want to have a strong fall and get into the Top 10 by the spring. If I can continue to build on my success from last year and with the girls we have coming back, my goal for our team is to finish better at the NCAA Tournament. Bianca came up big last year and I know Michaela has been working hard this summer so the pieces are there for our success.
We had some ups and downs last year, some girls didn’t get it and we got off to a slow start. But I think the girls coming back are the girls that were there every match. Overall, I feel pretty good about where we are as a team right now.
What is it like playing at home at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center?
It is always nice to play at home. It’s a different feeling. When a team comes to play us here, we have the fans behind us, the atmosphere is great, the weather is on our side and we’re comfortable on our own courts. We want teams to hate to play here. We want them to feel uncomfortable.
For me personally when I play on the first court, it’s great to have the people right there next to you. Whenever the match is going the wrong way, it’s nice to see familiar faces in the crowd and it helps relax you and get you back on top.
Any career plans after your tennis career is over?
It’s tough to say. I’m definitely going to try and go as far as I can with tennis, but after that I just don’t know yet. I’m majoring in Psychology so probably something in that field. I haven’t even decided if I am going to stay in the U.S. or move back to Spain. I just finished my sophomore year so I still have some time to think about things. I’m focused on school and tennis right now.
Vallverdu will be competing in the 2008 ITA National Summer Circuit Championships, Aug. 11-15, at the IU Outdoor Varsity Tennis Center in Bloomington, Ind.
