Coming to study and play tennis at University of Rochester from Puerto Rico was a big change for recent graduate Camila Ruiz Vega, one that she embraced for multiple reasons. “Playing competitive tennis at a young age, you are exposed to a lot of people you don’t know. My parents were always there and trying to shield me and my sister from losing ourselves in things that aren’t important. They prepared us to have the tools to handle things ourselves and traveling for tennis without them,” she explained.
The adjustment had some rocky moments in the early stages. “My dad was always at my tournaments and my mom was so supportive and usually there. My dad visited campus, saw where I would live, and met my coaches so that helped the transition…until my first match anyway,” Ruiz Vega laughed. “I called my parents before the match crying for about 20 minutes, and then cried again when I called them after the match. I missed having them there. Even if I wasn’t talking to them during my matches growing up, I always knew they were there. I no longer had a friendly face in the crowd to focus on.”
Playing at Rochester
“I did not have women coaches growing up, so meeting (Rochester assistant coach) Margarita (Kotok) was really special and changed my perspective on how to play tennis. I measured my expectations about myself and my game with what she was saying,” she commented. “She played at NCAA Division I and plays with/against men and taught me that it is not my mission to try to ace my opponent, but to be successful in what women, specifically me, can do. She didn’t give technical advice during the match to not confuse us, but she was always ready to do so on Monday!”
She appreciated the combination of head coach Matt Nielsen’s technical knowledge and Kotok’s direct style. “You have to be a little harsh with me for me to listen,” Ruiz Vega admitted. “Margo sat down with me and told me to stop goofing around and playing my style of tennis. She really knew how to speak to all of us, not just replicating the same words for everyone. She taught me that, even in singles, I am not alone.”
Photo: Ruiz Vega with Margarita Kotak
There were other advantages Ruiz Vega found in having a woman’s coach. “Obviously, men’s and women’s bodies are different, and Margo understands that some movements men make don’t work for women. One of the more mundane, but important changes for our women’s team was getting better uniforms,” she chuckled. “The skirts were huge when Coach (Nielsen) ordered them. Margo knew that the Nike skirts ran a little big.”
Despite no on-court coaching and no team concept in junior tennis, she quickly adjusted to the college game. “It was great learning from different perspectives, seeing people from various countries and places in the U.S. and how they handled different situations. When I won, the team cheered with me and when I lost, they comforted me,” she reflected.
Women’s Tennis Versus Men’s Tennis
“A lot of fans only follow men’s tennis, which gets more exposure. They tend to get more sponsorships and racquets,” she noted. “In college tennis, the men’s game may grab more attention because it tends to be louder and more aggressive. Women tend to not be as loud or what is deemed aggressive, but it doesn’t mean we are less competitive. Men tend to see it more as a battlefield and women are methodical in the way we approach a match.”
She notes that the Rochester women’s team and men’s team prepared differently for upcoming matches. “Women tend to be more mellow. We focus on getting sleep, then grabbing breakfast in the morning, and playing some Taylor Swift in the locker room. We support each other in a fun, chill way,” she noted. “The men got really fired up the night before, yelling and getting into their own winning mentality.”
As a junior player, Ruiz Vega found herself trying to balance what she called “showing off a little” to get recruited or sponsored and staying true to her own style. “I discovered that you don’t have to follow anyone else’s example and be the next 100 miles per hour server. The key is finding your own playing style, not necessarily what you see someone else doing.”
Although there may be some general differences in men’s and women’s playing styles, Ruiz Vega emphasizes that any woman player should be able to play the style that works for them and not be compared to men. “Our first captain when I came to Rochester was told a lot that she played like a guy because she served and volleyed. There is no set standard. You acquire the same skill set, more or less, and adapt that to what works best for you,” she communicated. “Certain styles are determined to be gender specific. I remember one of our guys was struggling in a match where pushing the ball would have worked better than what he was doing, but he thought that pushing was ‘the girls’ way.’ I told him, ‘You can keep doing what you are doing and lose, or you can adjust and push.’ I believe in winning ugly, whatever it takes.”
Photo: Ruiz Vega (far right) and her teammates at the UAA Women's Tennis Championship
She would like to see the general perception of the women’s game change. “There is a beauty in the way we play and how others choose to play. Promote how long a rally was and who won it or who saved the most points in x, y, z situations rather than the speed of serve or only things related to speed and strength,” Ruiz Vega recommended. “We can keep conversations open about believing in and supporting women.”
Positive Language and Advisors
Ruiz Vega used that instance to become even more cognizant of the importance of how women and women’s athletes are described. “I am always becoming more conscious about the way all of us express ourselves toward women. It is important to talk about women in a positive way, not comparing them to men. My mom always told me that when I envision what I want to do, to set that up in positive language, even in something as simple as saying, ‘I will reduce the amount of sugar I consume rather than I won’t eat sugar.’ Perception is a big part of how we talk about women’s sports,” she described.
One of the key people in her time at Rochester was Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator Kris Shanley. “She was always very proactive about using resources for women. She understood our needs and always advocated for us. It is a very important role for a woman to hold and she made my experience at Rochester even more fulfilling,” she stated.
Photo: Ruiz Vega with her mom and sister at the UAA championship
Ruiz Vega ended her career in style. “One of the most fulfilling experiences of my collegiate career was seeing my sister, who plays for Carnegie Mellon, at the UAA Tennis Championship in Florida,” she stated. “Our parents surprised us and were there to see my last college tournament at the same time as seeing my sister’s first UAA tournament.”