Match Point: Brittany Dubins
By Amanda Phillips
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Excelling in one sport is a difficult task.
But Brittany Dubins, a junior on the University of Miami women’s tennis team, made it look easy in high school.
After excelling in soccer, volleyball, and tennis, Dubins was named the 2010 Miami-Dade Female Athlete of the Year by the Miami Herald.
“It was really fun,” Dubins said. “I would be able to have volleyball practice one day and soccer another, but tennis was my first sport. My dad is a coach and he brought me up playing, so it was in my blood.”
While she was a three-sport standout, the 5-foot-10 junior decided to pursue a collegiate tennis career.
“It was definitely my favorite,” Dubins said. “I like being out there playing for myself.”
When Dubins began looking at universities, she knew she wanted to stay close to home and the University of Miami was a favorite.
“I was looking at Florida schools,” Dubins said. “I love the warm weather, so I didn’t want to go too far. But Miami was definitely my top choice.”
Dubins enjoys that her parents can come watch her matches. On match days, her mother is often heard before she is seen.
“For sure, my mom is the team cheerleader,” Dubins said. “You know once she starts to go, ‘Woo, Woo’, that’s her. I know the girls and I love it.”
Dubins believes she made the right choice in joining Miami’s tennis program. The veteran feels she has improved under the guidance of head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews.
“You work really hard,”Dubins said. “There’s no way you can leave this program without improving in some aspect in terms of tennis and in terms of being a better individual. You learn that tennis doesn’t really define who you are. It’s just something you do.”
In three years, Yaroshuk-Tews has seen growth in Dubins’ game.
“She is playing more aggressive. She is confident in her game,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We’ve been able to tweak certain parts of her game to make her even better.”
While Dubins is a contributor on the court for the Canes, Yaroshuk-Tews knows Dubins is a great person and a great representative of the university off the court as well.
“She’s got a good head on her shoulders,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Brittany always sees the best in every situation. I really have never had a girl on my team who sees both sides of stories. She sees the best in people and she sees the best in situations.”
Dubins also sees the best in her teammates, growing close with them, as they have ascended up the rankings this season.
“I have so much belief in the girls that I know that they can always do it no matter if their back’s against the wall,” Dubins said. “I love rooting for my team. We’ve become such a close group.”
