Magdalena Hubickova (’23), who hails from Prague, the Czech Republic, is taking the SNHU women’s tennis team by storm.
In the September 17 season opener against Saint Anselm College, Hubickova went 6-0, 6-0 during her singles match against Kaitlin Hughes, earning her a No. 1 standpoint. During her doubles match, Hubickova went 6-3 alongside teammate Alexxa Etienne (’22). The team finished with a final score of 7-0, earning SNHU two points in the Queen City Cup.
“I was super nervous because it was my first match at SNHU, but the team gave me so much support and I knew I wanted to win everything. For me, for them, and for coach,” said Hubickova.
Just one day after her debut, on September 18, Hubickova travelled to Flushing, NY for her first ever Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Regional Championship. She went 5-0, including three tie-breaking victories. Hubickova became the first SNHU freshman to make it to the final round of the tournament.
Along with her numerous feats during the month of September, Hubickova also captured four Northeast-10 awards in two weeks. Hubickova was crowned the Northeast-10 Player of the Week and Rookie of the week for the period ending September 22. She continued to hold both of these titles for the second straight week, ending September 29.
Hubickova, who has been playing tennis since age three, originally wanted to attend a university in Florida. However, she also knew that she wanted to continue playing tennis competitively. It wasn’t until Greg Coache, the head coach of SNHU’s women’s tennis for the past 13 years, reached out to Hubickova that she realized that this dream was becoming a reality.
During a Skype conversation in June, Hubickova and Coache connected and made the decision that the SNHU Women’s Tennis team was the place for her. This connection, in addition to her teammates’ welcoming attitudes, allowed Hubickova to more easily adjust to a new team and environment.
“I see an amazing future for Maggie here at SNHU. I knew from the day that she stepped on the courts that she has all the tools to be a national champion- and now, a month later, I feel even stronger,” said Coache. “I am proud to be her coach in this part of her journey.”
Hubickova plans to continue excelling and putting forth her best effort. While she was a little skeptical in moving to a new country with an unknown path, Hubickova’s solution is to keep pushing forward.
“Just don’t be afraid- even if the challenge ahead looks so big and you think that you will lose, just try it. Even if it’s really uncomfortable for you,” said Hubickova.
The Women’s Tennis team ended the week of September 29 with a perfect 3-0, and swept past Assumption college on October 1 with a score of 5-2. The team next will host Daemen College on Saturday, October 12, at 1pm on the Penmen Stadium Tennis Courts.
