Maria Khval’s journey from Belarus
Maria Khval had a choice to make — continue with her education or commit to tennis.
When she came to North America, though, she was able to do both, and do them well.
Khval was born and raised in Minsk, Belarus, an eastern European country that lies between Poland and Russia. She began playing tennis when she was 7 years old and fell in love with it right away. She wanted to continue playing past high school, but no such opportunity existed in her home country.
Role Player — Maria Kvhal found oppotunity as a Lady Flame. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
“We don’t have the same kinds of universities that America has,” Khval said. “So basically we don’t have college sports. So if you go to school, you just go study and you don’t play any type of sport there, and it’s the same for universities.”
Not wanting to give up tennis, Khval decided to go to school in America. Many tennis players from Belarus often come to American universities to play, and Khval knew that was what she wanted to do.
“I had decided to go to a university in America when I was a junior in high school,” Khval said. “A lot of tennis players from Belarus used to go and play tennis for different (American) schools, so this is how I heard about it, and I decided to try it.”
Then Khval found a school called Liberty University.
“I started searching for schools, and when I found Liberty, I was interested in it right away,” Khval said. “ I went to the a website and read about it, and I really loved it.”
The feeling was mutual for Liberty. Liberty women’s tennis Head Coach Jeff Maren heard about this female tennis player from Belarus and contacted her.
“You know, tennis is actually a small community, and if you’re in it long enough, you get to know a lot of people all over the world,” Maren said. “We were looking at several players, Maria being one of them, and we got in touch, … and over time, we realized this was a good fit for the both of us.”
Khval left her home in Belarus and came to Liberty in the fall of 2013. She is now a sophomore majoring in sport management and is coming off a solid freshman season on the tennis court. After posting a 13-7 record in singles play last spring, Khval feels she is more acclimated to the tennis program at Liberty and that she has matured since her freshman year.
“I think freshman year really helped me to get a lot of experience since I played a lot of matches,” Khval said. “Every match contributed and gave me some knowledge about what I need to do to improve.”
All this has not gone unnoticed by her coach, either. Maren has seen firsthand the progress Khval has made over the last year and can already see improvement. He also places a high value on her style of play, as well as her work ethic and what it brings to the team.
“(Maria) has a big game, and in tennis, that basically means that she’s a power player,” Maren said. “So she has an opposing type of game on the court, and that’s not only good for her. … It also motivates the players around her to be more aggressive and to be more offensive. Also, because of her focus, she works hard on the court, and that motivates those around her as well to work hard and to compete.”
According to Kvhal, there is a powerful driving force behind her focused nature.
“I just always wanted to succeed,” Khval said. “I just want to give my best. If you are able to achieve a goal, then you should always do it.”
FYI
Khval and the Lady Flames will go on the road to take on the New Jersey Institute of Technology Saturday, Feb. 7.
VANDENBOSCH is a sports reporter.