By Sage Sammons, UNLV Athletics Media Relations
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV sophomore Aleksandra Josifoska's start to the 2011-12 year had been less than glorious, but her turnaround has been monumental.
"The start of this season was pretty bad for me," said Josifoska. "The tournament I played in last season I made it to the finals, and this season I lost in the first round, then I lost in the first round of the All-American, so that was really bad. After that, I was really down on myself, but after a couple talks with the coaches I started practicing better. I think the key point was that I changed my attitude toward practice. When you get a positive attitude and you are able to give 100 percent on every point, the win comes by itself."
But more amazing than winning the USTA/ITA Mountain Region Singles Championship last month was the way that Josifoska got through the draw. She had to beat No. 1 player from every school she faced just to reach the championships.
"We have known all along that Aleksandra is a great player," said head coach Kevin Cory. "She was an all-conference player last year and was ranked No. 4 in the region as a freshman, so we expect these kinds of things out of her. But for her to come through the way she did and beat the type of players she did back-to-back-to-back was significant."
The competition level was very high for the surging sophomore. Her wins included upsets of Utah's Anastasia Putilina, who is ranked 64th in the nation, and then of fellow-Lady Rebel Lucia Batta, ranked 95th.
"It was the hardest tournament I've been in since I started at UNLV," said Josifoska. "To be honest, I had a really tough draw. I had to face the No. 1 players from a lot of teams in our region. The semifinal match, I beat the No. 1 seeded girl in the region overall because I played my best match since starting at UNLV. Then the final wasn't a normal final as I faced my teammate, but I handled it pretty good. I tried to play my game, even though I was tired from all my tough matches, the desire to win and go to New York was bigger than anything, that's what helped me."
As part of winning the regional title, Josifoska now opens play Nov. 3 at the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in New York on November 3-6 before the fall tennis season comes to an end. One of the biggest hurdles she will face is playing indoors compared to outdoors, but that is something that Cory is going to help her prepare for before the tournament.
"We took her to some indoor courts a couple times because it is an indoor tournament, which we don't play in," said Cory. "It is a little bit of an adjustment, but the players at this level adjust pretty quickly."
Josifoska came into this season after finishing with only two losses in Mountain West play last spring. Her work ethic defined her wins and has been able to spill over to her teammates.
"Number one, she's a great competitor," said Cory. "She hates to lose. That's something you can't coach, you either have that or you don't. She knows how to win and knows how to play. She plays really smart and is willing to stay out there for three hours if she has to. Her work ethic is one thing that helps elevate the other team members. On that end, she brings a lot day in and day out."
But winning a major tournament hasn't risen the expectations for Josifoska, because the expectations have always been high for a player that finished 24-5 overall as a freshman. Ranked 117th going into the fall, she is set to make a big jump when the next round of rankings are released in January.
"She has been a leader of this team, and we need her to continue to be a leader, both on and off the court," said Cory. "I expect her to get into the NCAA tournament this spring and I think she has a great chance. She has beat four ranked players now, and will have another opportunity to beat some more at the national tournament."
Away from the court, Josifoska balances the life of being a student and an athlete.
"I don't do too much outside of playing tennis," said Josifoska. "I'm a normal student, so I have to study a lot. But I also like to hang out with my teammates."
Josifoska's competitive play on the court is why her teammates respect her, but her personality and positive attitude are why they genuinely like her off away from the Fertitta Tennis Complex.
"She is extremely well-liked by her teammates, peers and students in general," said Cory. "I never hear anything negative about her. She is the exact type of student athlete that we want here at UNLV. She works hard and gets good grades. You could say that she is the model student-athlete."
