Missouri-Oklahoma State match brings international flavor
Friday night, when the Missouri Tigers basketball team was in action against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament, the Missouri women’s tennis team was also squaring off with the team from Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Interestingly, however, there was not a single native Oklahoman on the Cowgirls’ roster. In fact, not even one American appeared on the team. The entire team is made up of foreign-born players from three different countries around the globe.
It all starts with head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski, who was born in Warsaw, Poland. He is in his twentieth season of coaching the Cowgirls. Lubicz-Majewski’s heritage could be a reason for the international makeup of Oklahoma State’s team.
Four girls on the team hail from Ukraine. Senior Maryna Tkachenko and sophomore Sasha Belova are from the city of Kiev, Ukraine’s capital city. Freshman Alisa Buslaieva is from the city of Donetsk, and freshman Iryna Khatsko calls Lviv her hometown.
Two other members of the Cowgirls’ tennis squad are from the country of Belarus. Both junior Nataliya Shatkovskaya and freshman Galina Semenova are from Belarus’ capital, Minsk.
Sophomore JoAnne Karaitiana, the team’s number one player, is from Melbourne, Australia.
Friday night was certainly a unique experience, as English was hardly the only language spoken inside the Green Tennis Center.
The Tigers have their own international representatives, too. Senior Jessica Giuggioli is from Piombino, Italy, and senior Sofia Ayala is from Quito, the capital of Ecuador.
A strong international presence is no surprise to tennis fans, who know many of the sport’s professionals are from many different countries, but to Missouri students, this virtual United Nations of tennis could come as a very interesting observation.
