Valerie Vladea is only a sophomore on the University of Minnesota tennis team, but she already has two years of experience in leading her team and herself through a variety of challenges.

Vladea originally came from the west part of Romania. She began her tennis career at the age of nine and was strongly, strongly influenced by her father's love of the sport. Conditions, however in Romania made it difficult to play year-round, so tennis was more of a recreational activity then a sport. When she was 11, her parents, Radu and Claudia, moved themselves, Valerie and her older brother to Canada to make a better life and give their children more opportunities then what they would have had in Romania. Once in Canada, Vladea was able to move into competitive tennis. Like a move from one continent to another, Vladea faced challenges and strong pressure to succeed.

"When we first moved to Canada, tennis was so expensive," Vladea said. "We came to Canada with $10,000 saved and my parents spent $9,000 of those dollars on tennis, so there was a lot of pressure to succeed and go somewhere with it. There was also the fact that I didn't have a coach for three years, but I had my dad and my brother there. It made me want to work harder."

Vladea's hard work paid off, however, and the talent and strength she gained through her years of play in Canada earned her the No. 1 Singles position on the University of Minnesota tennis team. This would place a lot of pressure on most athletes, but Vladea wasn't bothered by it.

"I'm the type of person that likes pressure," she said. "I've always liked being the leader. Last year, the coach would say, 'You know you have this high position.but I really didn't feel it at all. I just did my business on the court."

Vladea has shown her presence on the court. In her first year, Vladea was named an All-Big Ten selection and held a 10-10 No. 1 Singles record. She teamed with Michaela Havelkova and notched a 13-7 No. 1 Doubles mark. As a sophomore, Vladea ended the regular season with a 13-5 record, 7-3 in Big Ten play. Pairing with Havelkova for the second straight year, the duo gained a 12-4 overall record in the spring. Vladea and Havelkova have seven wins against conference opponents.

Being a student athlete, Vladea faces the pressures of balancing school, sport, and even injury, but head coach Tyler Thomson is extremely impressed with the way this young leader has worked to face her challenges head-on. Battling an early shoulder injury in the spring season, Vladea had to improve and work each day to re-gain her No. 1 Singles spot.

"She's a very hard worker, very responsible," Thomson said. "Her commitment to her studies and her physical therapy and rehabilitation are exemplary. She was as dedicated as she possibly could have been to rehabilitating herself and spending countless hours in the training room. She carries that to her studies as well. She makes a commitment to everything she does, and you know that you're going to get the same work and effort out of her every day, whether it's in the classroom, in the training room, or on the court."

This season was a whirlwind for the Golden Gophers when former coach Martin Novak left last summer, followed by an interim coach working with the team until October, when Thomson was hired. The team was forced to adjust from coaching style to coaching style. However, Vladea was optimistic throughout the changes for the future.

"This year was more of a new beginning for everything," Vladea said. "We were up in the air and didn't know exactly what was going to go on. Next year the coaches will know what to expect, and we'll know as a team what to expect from them."

Next year, the women's tennis team will face more changes, but hopefully more positive ones with the opening of the newly constructed Ridder Arena and Tennis Facility. The hour-long commute the tennis team has been taking over the past years to and from the Northwest Athletic Club in Bloomington, Minn., for training and competition has been an obstacle that Vladea felt in the beginning, but she actually grew to like it.

"I'm going to miss the van rides because that's when we got to talk a lot and get everything off our minds right before practice, but it's going to be nice not to have to worry about traffic."

Vladea has faced many changes, challenges, and obstacles, but she hasn't stopped growing or learning. As coach Thomson states, "She's always giving 100 percent and trying her hardest to improve."

As the tennis team enters Big Ten Championships April 25, and looks forward to next year in its new home, Vladea will continue to be a leader and a strong presence on her team, ready for any obstacle put in her way.

Written by Women's Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Jennifer Pederson Valerie Vladea is only a sophomore on the University of Minnesota tennis team, but she already has two years of experience in leading her team and herself through a variety of challenges.

Vladea originally came from the west part of Romania. She began her tennis career at the age of nine and was strongly, strongly influenced by her father's love of the sport. Conditions, however in Romania made it difficult to play year-round, so tennis was more of a recreational activity then a sport. When she was 11, her parents, Radu and Claudia, moved themselves, Valerie and her older brother to Canada to make a better life and give their children more opportunities then what they would have had in Romania. Once in Canada, Vladea was able to move into competitive tennis. Like a move from one continent to another, Vladea faced challenges and strong pressure to succeed.

"When we first moved to Canada, tennis was so expensive," Vladea said. "We came to Canada with $10,000 saved and my parents spent $9,000 of those dollars on tennis, so there was a lot of pressure to succeed and go somewhere with it. There was also the fact that I didn't have a coach for three years, but I had my dad and my brother there. It made me want to work harder."

Vladea's hard work paid off, however, and the talent and strength she gained through her years of play in Canada earned her the No. 1 Singles position on the University of Minnesota tennis team. This would place a lot of pressure on most athletes, but Vladea wasn't bothered by it.

"I'm the type of person that likes pressure," she said. "I've always liked being the leader. Last year, the coach would say, 'You know you have this high position.but I really didn't feel it at all. I just did my business on the court."

Vladea has shown her presence on the court. In her first year, Vladea was named an All-Big Ten selection and held a 10-10 No. 1 Singles record. She teamed with Michaela Havelkova and notched a 13-7 No. 1 Doubles mark. As a sophomore, Vladea ended the regular season with a 13-5 record, 7-3 in Big Ten play. Pairing with Havelkova for the second straight year, the duo gained a 12-4 overall record in the spring. Vladea and Havelkova have seven wins against conference opponents.

Being a student athlete, Vladea faces the pressures of balancing school, sport, and even injury, but head coach Tyler Thomson is extremely impressed with the way this young leader has worked to face her challenges head-on. Battling an early shoulder injury in the spring season, Vladea had to improve and work each day to re-gain her No. 1 Singles spot.

"She's a very hard worker, very responsible," Thomson said. "Her commitment to her studies and her physical therapy and rehabilitation are exemplary. She was as dedicated as she possibly could have been to rehabilitating herself and spending countless hours in the training room. She carries that to her studies as well. She makes a commitment to everything she does, and you know that you're going to get the same work and effort out of her every day, whether it's in the classroom, in the training room, or on the court."

This season was a whirlwind for the Golden Gophers when former coach Martin Novak left last summer, followed by an interim coach working with the team until October, when Thomson was hired. The team was forced to adjust from coaching style to coaching style. However, Vladea was optimistic throughout the changes for the future.

"This year was more of a new beginning for everything," Vladea said. "We were up in the air and didn't know exactly what was going to go on. Next year the coaches will know what to expect, and we'll know as a team what to expect from them."

Next year, the women's tennis team will face more changes, but hopefully more positive ones with the opening of the newly constructed Ridder Arena and Tennis Facility. The hour-long commute the tennis team has been taking over the past years to and from the Northwest Athletic Club in Bloomington, Minn., for training and competition has been an obstacle that Vladea felt in the beginning, but she actually grew to like it.

"I'm going to miss the van rides because that's when we got to talk a lot and get everything off our minds right before practice, but it's going to be nice not to have to worry about traffic."

Vladea has faced many changes, challenges, and obstacles, but she hasn't stopped growing or learning. As coach Thomson states, "She's always giving 100 percent and trying her hardest to improve."

As the tennis team enters Big Ten Championships April 25, and looks forward to next year in its new home, Vladea will continue to be a leader and a strong presence on her team, ready for any obstacle put in her way.

Written by Women's Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Jennifer Pederson