When asked to name a Russian female tennis player, the casual sports fan would probably blurt out “Kournikova.”

A more avid fan might offer Maria Sharapova, Wimbledon’s 2004 singles champion.

On Sacramento State’s women’s tennis team, two more Russian stars may be on the horizon.

Margarita Karnaukhova and Roberta Fessenko have led the dismantling of Big Sky Conference competition this season, bringing Sac State to a No. 39 national ranking in the March 8 rankings.

For many Americans, Russia still evokes images of Cold War standoffs, food lines, harsh winters and tough living.- It would be easy to think that young Russian girls would look to tennis as a way out of the country.

But like so many stereotypes, they don’t always ring true.

These women play for the love the game.

At 20 years old Margarita Karnaukhova has been delivering her blistering forehands for a decade now. The 5-foot-10 junior is currently ranked No. 23 nationally with a 12-1 singles record.

“I don’t think of (tennis) as a way out (of Russia),” Karnaukhova said. “Russians are not known to quit — they stay in the sport and get good, make money.

“Tennis was not popular in the area where Roberta and I came from. My coach was the only tennis coach in the city,” she added.

The reason for Karnaukhova’s personal dedication to the game is simple — she loves every minute of it.

“My life is tennis … I play tennis, go to school, come back and do homework,” she said. “I enjoy the practices and the matches — all of it.- It is one of the things that makes me happiest in life.-

“When I have a headache, I play and it goes away. I love it.”

Teammate Roberta Fessenko hails from Rostov on Don, about 150 miles north of Krasnodar. At 20, the senior has also played tennis for more than half her life.-

The two players’ paths didn’t cross until they came to Sacramento State.

“I remember seeing her in the tournaments, but for some reason we never played each other,” Fessenko said. “The first time we came here and saw each other, we were shocked.

Out of all the universities, we chose the same one.”Both took very different paths.

Hornet head coach Bill Campbell spotted Karnaukhova playing at a local International Tennis Federation match and invited her to play for Sac State.

“I love the place and I love the weather (in Sacramento), and how close people support the team,” Karnaukhova said.

Fessenko’s route played out more like a movie.

“I sent out a lot of letters to I believe 40 schools,” she said.-“Bill Campbell called me on the phone right away, and I was impressed by that … he was very helpful through the whole recruiting time.”

Campbell visited Fessenko and her family during a leisure trip to St. Petersburg, Russia.”It was hard for my mom to let her 17-year old go to the U.S.,” Fessenko said.

As Karnaukhova’s stardom continues to rise and the possibility of playing professionally looms larger, she has no trouble keeping things in perspective.-

“If I reach my goals by the end of college, then sure, I’ll try to play professionally,” she said. “But regardless of whether I play tennis or not, I can go home to Russia and have an advantage with my degree.

“It’s all about how much you want it.”

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Josh Terrell can be reached at [email protected]