From Eastern Europe to the New Mexico desert, sophomore Sandra Zmak has made the transition with flying colors.
Last season, Zmak posted a 22-11 record in singles and earned All-Mountain West Conference honors in singles and doubles as a freshman.
"This biggest change for me, coming from Croatia, was the change in court surface," Zmak said. "Back home, we play on clay. The hard courts are so much faster, and it took some getting used to."
Head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said the adjustment is sometimes difficult for international players, but Zmak responded quickly.
"They come in, and it's a big shock to, No. 1, be in the high altitude, which makes it a very fast game. And, No. 2, being on hard courts, which is a much faster game," she said. "So, often they are playing 10 feet behind the baseline, and we just keep telling them to play up. It takes several weeks to get used to the new surface, and Sandra seemed to adjust remarkably fast."
This season, Zmak is ranked No. 85 nationally and No. 18 in the region.
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Kolankiewicz said it's a huge honor for Zmak to get that kind of recognition.
"Anytime you get a national ranking, it's a huge accomplishment," she said. "There are over 2,400 Division 1 players, and they only rank 100. Anybody who gets a singles or doubles national ranking, it's a huge honor in itself."
Zmak said she was surprised by the preseason ranking.
"I'm really honored," she said. "I didn't even know I was ranked. So when people told me, I was really surprised."
Kolankiewicz said Zmak earned the ranking for to her outstanding play during the fall season.
Last fall, Zmak posted a 10-6 record with strong showings at the Central Regional Championships in Oklahoma City and the Florida State Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla.
"She got the chance to play some good players and picked up some nice, key wins during the fall season," Kolankiewicz said. "She actually had her best showing at Florida State, reaching the semifinals. That helped her get some points for her ranking."
But the spring has been a different story, Kolankiewicz said.
"There were seven weeks off for winter break," she said. "Unfortunately, when Sandra goes home to Croatia, there are no indoor courts. So, she comes back a little rusty. But Sandra is one of those players that improves with each match. She gets better each week, and I'm seeing progression on a daily basis."
This spring, Zmak is 2-3 in singles, with two of the three losses coming against top-20 players.
"She has had the opportunity, but she doesn't have any more ranked wins," Kolankiewicz said. "The bad thing about the ranking system is that it counts a hard-fought, three set match the same as a 6-0, 6-0 loss. So, last season she had a lot of close losses to ranked opponents. This year, we hope that she can turn some of those matches around and beat the better teams and better players."
Zmak said she is focusing on getting back into the groove of playing.
"I'm not playing my best tennis right now," she said. "But with each match, I'm improving. I hope I start playing my best tennis soon."
The new singles rankings will be released Feb. 20, and Zmak said she will continue to improve, regardless of her ranking.
"I'm trying not to think about it," she said. "It's the beginning of the season, and it's hard to predict anything. You're not playing your best tennis. I just want to play as much as I can and see what happens."
Women's tennis at LSU
Saturday, noon
Baton Rouge, La.
