You won’t find any players on the Sacramento State women’s tennis team from the U.S. but you will find eight women from seven different countries uniting.

The Hornets are one of the most diverse teams in the NCAA and also have foreign coaches.

While there may be apparent obstacles communicating because many players speak different languages, it has not prevented the team from success and a 7-1 record so far this year.

“It’s really fun because none of us are (primary English speakers),” co-captain Joyce Martinez Gutierrez said.

The potential culture shock that can happen doesn’t seem to affect the team because they use diversity as a way to gel and support each other.

Players like Martinez of Mexico and Karina Jarlkaganova of Kazakhstan had international success before getting to Sac State and so have the coaches.

Coach Dima Hrynashka hails from Belarus, where he competed for the national team and was ranked eighth in Russia’s junior class at age 16. Volunteer Assistant Gergana Avramova-Hunt is a native of Bulgaria, where she also played as a professional.

Having coaches who can relate to the players in regards of being introduced to a new environment seems to work well for the team.

“We all like our head coach and sometimes when we get tired in matches we try to win for him because he does so much to help us and we really respect that,” Jarlkaganova said.

Chemistry is important in every sport and while tennis may seem like an individual sport at the professional level, it is different at the college level. College tennis includes doubles play, which requires a lot of quick thinking and teamwork.

“We have seven really talented girls out here who compete hard and want to play every week,” Director of Tennis Bill Campbell said.

The players prefer to speak English on and off the court with their teammates but certain players on the team share the same native languages.

“We speak in our own languages sometimes with certain teammates in front of others and it can cause difficulties,” Jarlkaganova said.

When that happens it may be Martinez, Melissa Valenzuela or Clarisse Baca speaking Spanish. It may also be Jarlkaganova and Katrina Zheltova speaking Russian.

Co-captain Luba Schifris, who was born in Russia but raised in Germany, speaks four languages.

“It’s fun sometimes, like when Aileen (Tsan) tells us Malaysian jokes,” Schifris said.

Schifris also likes the humor that comes from all the different accents when the players speak English. She specifically mentioned the way Baca says “underwear” and “bus.”

Campbell says diversity is important and enforces team rules that include different roommates for every away match.

His philosophy on recruiting emphasizes personality and the potential to develop chemistry within the program.

“I think these girls would get along with anyone,” Campbell said.

The Hornets are the only team in the Big Sky Conference with a roster comprised of all foreign players.

“We’re very different from other teams and it’s a great experience because we meet people from other cultures,” Martinez said. “We don’t think of nationality as an obstacle.”

Making each other comfortable is a way for the team to bond and it is done in several ways.

Because being foreign is something the players and coaches have in common, it gives them an immediate starting point for conversation as they all share something.

“I want to stay and work here after school,” Schifris said. “I don’t know long I will want to stay because I miss my family but I love it here.”

The team goes on outings to get to know each other so they can all work toward the same goal. Campbell occasionally takes them to get ice cream or pizza after games for a more relaxed atmosphere.

“I think it’s very important because we don’t have family here, so we act as each other’s family,” Martinez said.

Professional athletes are expected to perform up to their potential regardless of where they are and college athletes are at the closest level to professionals in most sports.

Sac State’s program has produced women’s tennis teams with winning records since 2001.

Campbell recruits the players and says that at the highest level the tennis world is a small world and that’s why he values team chemistry.

“We’re pretty demanding that they get along,” Campbell said.

While practice and training are intense there is no shortage of smiles and humor on the Hornets team.

The players work intensely nearly every day between matches and while they’re breathing hard when pulled aside for interviews, they still find the energy to laugh and share entertaining stories about their teammates.

“Last year I felt like I represented Khazakstan and I had the nickname Borat,” Jarlkaganova said.

Cameron Ross can be reached at [email protected]