Katrina Zheltova moved from her home country of Belarus just eight months ago and is already having a huge impact on the Sacramento State women’s tennis team. Zheltova is a freshman at Sac State and is ranked 58th for singles in Division I women’s tennis. Zheltova also plays in the No. 1 singles slot for the Hornets.

For the past three weeks, Zheltova has been on a tear, earning three consecutive Big Sky Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honors.

Zheltova is 6-1 on the year in singles matches and 4-1 in doubles with her teammate, senior Cecilia Helland. Zheltova’s only loss came in the first match of the season against defending NCAA singles national champion Susie Babo of UC Berkeley.

Babos is the 3rd ranked singles player in the nation this season for Division I women’s tennis.

The match went three sets between the two, with Babos finishing Zheltova off in a tie-breaker (6-2, 4-6, 10-7). Former women’s tennis coach and current Director of Tennis Bill Campbell said it was difficult for Zheltova because before that match she had not played a competitive match for eight to 10 months.

Since then, Zheltova has won six matches in a row, all of them coming in consecutive sets. During the current wining streak, she has lost only 11 games, and not one set.

“I knew from day one Katrina was a special player,” Campbell said,” I have been around tennis for a very long time and I can evaluate players very well when I see them.”

Zheltova said she started playing tennis when she was seven years old.

“My parents wanted me to play tennis because they said I would be good at athletics because I have so much energy all the time,” Zheltova said.

When she moved from the city of Minsk, Belarus to the United States, she said there was no pressure because she played on the national team in her home country for two years.

“There is different tactics here though, and different players. It’s kind of weird,” Zheltova said.

Team captain Joyce Martinez Gutierrez spoke highly of Zheltova’s work ethic.

“She is so hard working and so into it. She gets up every morning and practices her game,” Gutierrez said. “She is a very solid player all the way around. Her serve is amazing as well as her forehand, and she also has a nice backhand. She doesn’t hit the ball, she kills it.”

Campbell said Zheltova is a really hard worker and extremely conscious about her school work.

“When she gets her English down more fluently, she will be an exceptional student,” Campbell said.

Zheltova is one of the eight players on the team from another country for the Sac State women’s tennis team. Zheltova grew up in Minsk and said she has liked living in the United States.

The ones who have helped Zheltova adjust to her new surroundings have been her teammates.

“The team has helped a lot and everyone is really nice, everyone is always there for me,” Zheltova said.

Coach Dima Hrynashka, who is also from Belarus, recruited Zheltova. Hrynashka told Zheltova there are good conditions here – better conditions than their home country. The two met when Zheltova first starting playing tennis at the age of seven. Hrynashka was her coach in Belarus.

“I came here because Dima came and asked me to come here. Dima is a really good coach. He works you hard and he’s like a friend to me. He has always been there for me,” Zheltova said.

Sean Wolf can be reached at [email protected]