Diverse team heads for another conference-winning season

By David Thackman

thackhamd@mytjnow.com

Sophomore Giovanna Portiolli returns a close net volley during a doubles match on Jan. 15. The women’s team beat both the Hampton Pirates and the Wofford Terriers that day. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.com When it comes to the Winthrop tennis program, being an American is a rarity. In fact, on both the men’s and women’s team combined, there is only one American-born player. 

Dejon Bivens, political science major and one-year veteran of the team, could be forgiven if he had entered the team, quietly went about his own business and let his international teammates bond with each other. But that’s not how Bivens was raised. 

“I come from the Charlotte area,” said the junior, “which is a mecca of different cultures, so I’m interacting in a place where there are different people than you.”

It’s no small wonder why Bivens came to Winthrop, then. The men’s tennis team is comprised of six different countries, stretching the globe from Brazil to Japan. The key to having every player on the same page, despite the language and cultural barriers, is through their one true commonality. 

“[Tennis] crosses borders, it brings people together…as a unit,” said Bivens. “Our team is like a family; we really bond together and that’s one of our strengths. When you feel good about your teammates and want to win for your university very strong.”

In this family, success breeds success. The men’s squad won the Big South Conference Tournament for 2010 and has won it four times in the last eight years. 

Much of their continued triumphs have come through doing the simple things right. 

“The biggest thing we look for [when recruiting],” said assistant coach Andrew Stubbs, “is work ethic. You’ve got to be willing to put in the hours, go to school and compete at a high level.” Bivens demonstrates the Winthrop way by simply noting, “We’re a bunch of competitors; we don’t like to lose.”

What they do like to do is play, which was hard for many of the Eagles’ talent before they were recruited to Rock Hill. 

“We don’t really have college tennis back home [in Russia]” said Sergey Belov, senior business administration major who calls Nizhniy Novgorod his home. “Our league is like 10 universities and that’s all. The level of college tennis in Russia is really low. However, in the U.S., it is a really big thing.”

As we move further into the spring, the season will loom even larger. After competing in several invitational friendlies, the team is currently 1-2 after a gritty loss against foe UNC-Greensboro, but Coach Cid Carvalho remains ever positive on the season, which includes storied programs such as Clemson, Georgia State and Davidson. 

“I feel very confident [about the schedule] because we only have things to gain,” Carvalho said.  “We play many ACC, SEC and nationally-ranked teams [because] the way I look at it is that to be the best, you have to play the best.”

If home-court advantage is an indication of success, the Eagles might be in for a treacherous road ahead. Only seven games throughout the regular season are played in Rock Hill.  

But the team is taking the pressure off themselves and onto the court. 

“We will be really pleased to win a Big South this year as well,” Belov said. “I believe everyone of us wants the same… However, we have no pressure because tennis is the game where you never know who is going to win and who is going to lose.”

In the end, Carvalho wants to control the only thing he can in the dog-eat-dog Big South Conference chase as universities vie for national ranking.

“Winning the Big South is our goal every year,” he said, “but there’s so many things you have to go through in the season, like injuries, so its very unpredictable. We just have to deal with today and focus on that so we can do better tomorrow. When things happen, we have to pull together and go through it, so the only thing we can do is do the best we can every year.”

That’s what lone American Dejon Bivens hopes to do as he enters his second year of competitive collegiate tennis. 

“I feel like I’m carrying the American flag,” he said, “it’s always good to represent your country and myself well.” 

But the important thing is that, despite the difference in hometown,  every player can be on the same page, come April 21, the dawn of the 2011 Big South Tournament.

“In order for us to be a championship team, we have to be cohesive and work together no matter where we come from because tennis is a very united game,” Carvalho said.