University of Tennessee Athletics
Beyond the Courts: Q&A with Victoria Olivarez
November 11, 2014 | Women's Tennis
With the fall season completed, sophomore Victoria Olivarez finished as the top singles tennis player for the team heading into the spring.
Olivarez finished with an 8-3 record in singles. She will compete with sophomore Eve Repic and senior Joanna Henderson for the top spot in the lineup in January when the Lady Vols open the spring season in Las Vegas at a tournament hosted by UNLV.
With a break from tennis, Olivarez took time to do a Q&A so fans could get to know a little more about her beyond the courts:
Q: Where are you from, and what do you do there?
A: "I am from Virginia Beach, Virginia. My family has always been around a beach. My mom grew up in Florida, and she started playing tennis. She is the one who got me into tennis. We have always been an athletic family. We liked to do a lot of stuff outdoors. My brothers are big `water boys,' so we are just a big aquatic family, but I got into tennis"
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: "I had one dog, but he passed away while we were at the Furman Fall Classic. That was tough because I had had him for eight years. We rescued him from the American Bulldog Association, so that was a tough one."
Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: "I have always wanted to go to Australia. It always seems so pretty in pictures and movies. I would also want to go to some places in Europe."
Q: What is one thing that most people don't know about you?
A: "I began college when I was only 16. I graduated two years early. I skipped pre-k and my senior of high school. I only needed two credits to graduate after junior year, so I took two summer classes and packed up my stuff to come here."
Q: What is your dream job?
A: "I want to be a surgeon and work for Doctors Without Borders. I want to travel around to different countries to perform surgery and help others who are less fortunate than us."
Q: What is your favorite sport besides tennis?
A: "I like watching college football. If I was a guy, I always knew I would want to be a football player. College football has my heart."
Q: Why did you choose Tennessee?
A: "When I started playing Junior tennis, I had always heard Tennessee was a very prestigious program. Mike and Sonia did a really good job of developing champions. They make players work as hard as they can to make them reach their full potential. I had heard a lot of great things about them. They are married and are close with each other. They are also close with their players. That meant a lot to me. I did not want to go to a program where everyone did their own thing. I wanted a team atmosphere, and this was the placed that accomplished everything."
Q: Was your first year of college what you expected it would be?
A: "In some ways it was, but in other ways, it was a very big wake up call for me. I was so naive about everything. It was very interesting coming into the real world after being under my parents' roof for 16 years."
Q: How often do you have homework?
A: "Almost every night, but procrastination is one of my biggest setbacks. I have done a pretty good job this year of staying on top of things."
Q: How do you manage schoolwork and tennis?
A: "It is hard sometimes, especially, when we are traveling. After a long match, I just want to go home and chill out, but at the same time, I have to do one paper for this class. When I come home, I try to get as much done so I can do whatever in the evenings."
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: "I like spending a lot of time with my roommates, which are Britt (Brittany Lindl) and Beeks (Ambika Pande). We do a lot of stuff together."
Q: How much time do you spend with tennis on an average week?
A: "Outside of practice, I watch a lot of film. I meet with Sonia in her office before practice and sometimes after. I stay very involved in tennis even when I am not on the court. I read about other players. I look to see what players from Alabama and Florida are doing. Stuff like that."
Q: What is your schedule like on the day of a match?
A: "Let's say I have a noon match. I wake up and eat a good breakfast - usually some cereal and fruit. I will get to the courts and meet with Sonia about who I am playing and what mindset I want to go into the match with. Then I will go see Sammie Charters (Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer for the team) so she can braid my hair. Right before we go out to warm up, I will sit at my locker and listen to my music. I try to get myself relaxed before I go out."
Q: Where have you improved the most since last season?
A: "I would say discipline and focus. Last year, I walked in as a freshman and just expected myself to get a lot better, which yes, it did happen, but I could have made a lot more improvements like Eve Repic had. She came out and started playing as fourth in the lineup and ended up as first throughout the entire spring. She came in with the discipline and focus after winter break, and that hit me because I wanted to be just as good, and I knew I could be. Over the summer, I worked on getting the ball back in the court. I wanted to be a real competitor. In this semester alone, I have watched more film than I did all semester combined. I am proud of that. It reflects on my results. I wanted to come into a program and make an impact. Right now, I feel like I have. I want us to get back to where the program was founded."
Q: What is your goal for this season?
A: "I want to keep improving, but my main goal is to make it to the NCAA tournament with my team and individually. I believe in myself, and I have a lot of people around me who believe in me. I have a bunch of different resources that I utilize. I don't want to just make it there; I want to do well and perform and get a few wins under my belt there."
Q: What is your goal by the time you graduate?
A: "I want to be on the All-American wall. That is my biggest goal."
Q: What match are you looking most forward to this season?
A: "I really want a rematch against Florida. After seeing them play last year, there were not very many teams that swept us off our feet like talent and ability wise. They came out very disciplined and focus, but the majority of us did a good job of competing with them and keeping it close even though the scores might not reflect that. I feel like I have a really good chance against my opponent who I think is a senior. I would like to play her again and go out to show them what I have and what I have been working on."
