Gael Spotlight | Kozyreva Back for Year Five
9/30/2021 9:30:00 AM | General, Women's Tennis
The Common Interest Management Gael Spotlight is a monthly feature story about Saint Mary's Athletics and a behind-the-scenes look at the Gaels.
MORAGA, Calif. — Mariia Kozyreva was riding high in her best season of tennis before COVID-19 struck in the spring of 2020 as Saint Mary's Women's Tennis was about to embark on WCC play. The season was cut short at that point, with Kozyreva 6-3 in singles action and having just taken down the No. 16-ranked player.
With numerous accolades sandwiched in between, the fifth year picked right back up where she left off when play resumed in the Spring. Having already earned ITA All-American honors the year before, Kozyreva was named Saint Mary's' Female Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of the year.
"That was really, really special," Kozyreva said. "I love Saint Mary's, I love representing Saint Mary's, so that recognition really felt special. When COVID just started, everything got cancelled and that year, in terms of results, it was the best year until it was cut short and I didn't get to participate in NCAA's. We didn't even start the conference matches and we didn't have fall season, so last year getting the Athlete of the Year was special not only because I love Saint Mary's but because of everything that had happened."
Kozyreva decided to stay in Moraga for her fifth year after COVID-19, and it was an easy decision for her to make based on how the past four years on the Saint Mary's campus had gone. Under the stewardship of Simon Harston, she rose to as high as No. 17 in the nation in the ITA and finished last season 11-1 in singles play, including remaining undefeated in three matches against nationally ranked opponents.
She said: "I have had the best years of my life here! It has been great, I have met a lot of great people, my best friends. Most of my friends have been my teammates, so even though people I started with have gone, a lot of new people have come in two or three years ago and they are great too. My time has been very fun and amazing on and off the court. The coaches have been amazing too and I feel lucky to have been part of this program.
"So, it wasn't a hard decision for me to decide to stay. When COVID hit I just felt I wanted to finish on a good note and not just be done. I wanted something more. Getting an opportunity to play for one more year - for the coaches, the team and Saint Mary's, as well as getting my masters was a really good thing."
After completing her Masters in Kinesiology and eligibility at Saint Mary's, Kozyreva hopes to make it as a professional tennis player, something she got a taste of as a young player as she won multiple singles tournaments, ITF Grade 5 tournaments in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Armenia, as well as reaching the semi-finals in a Grade 3 tournament in Turkey and the final in a Grade 4 tournament in Russia before her time with the Gaels.
The 2021-22 season has already gotten off to a great start for Kozyreva, as she is actively taking part in the annual Berkeley Tennis Club Challenge. The event has been held since 2018 and in the inaugural tournament, Sofia Kenin took first place in the singles division and later won the Australian Open in 2019. After winning a few qualifiers, Kozyreva drew the 75th-ranked player in the world in Saisai Zheng out of China, and in a shocking upset (shocking to those in the tennis world, not the SMC community), Kozyreva beat the top-seeded Zheng to advance to the second round where she will face Emma Navarro. Kozyreva won with scores of 4-6, 7-5, and 6-1.
Originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kozyreva's love for the game brought her to the United States, to a tennis academy just outside Sacramento, aged-13, as her talent on the court became more apparent.
"I was playing tennis professionally, and my parents found a tennis academy in the U.S. so I could play over here and go to school," explained Kozyreva. "I was 13 when I first came over and my mom came with me for the first year and a half, then I was coming by myself. It was really exciting, when you are 14 or 15 everything seems so great, especially when you are around a lot of friends and teenagers in the academy who, just like me, came from all different parts of the world. It was really fun."
Kozyreva was recruited by a number of large schools, but a connection to the coach at Saint Mary's saw her land in Moraga and it is clear she is very happy with the decision she made a handful of years ago. She is now looking forward to her final season with the Gaels and hopes to make it the best one yet.
"I have gone through a big growth as a person, which has helped me to develop my tennis as well," Kozyreva said. "I came to Saint Mary's when I had just turned 18, a crazy young teenager, and I really grew up here and turned into an adult. Thanks to the coaches who have been working on my tennis, I improved both as a person and a tennis player. I am excited for one more year here and hope it is even better than the rest."
MORAGA, Calif. — Mariia Kozyreva was riding high in her best season of tennis before COVID-19 struck in the spring of 2020 as Saint Mary's Women's Tennis was about to embark on WCC play. The season was cut short at that point, with Kozyreva 6-3 in singles action and having just taken down the No. 16-ranked player.
With numerous accolades sandwiched in between, the fifth year picked right back up where she left off when play resumed in the Spring. Having already earned ITA All-American honors the year before, Kozyreva was named Saint Mary's' Female Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of the year.
"That was really, really special," Kozyreva said. "I love Saint Mary's, I love representing Saint Mary's, so that recognition really felt special. When COVID just started, everything got cancelled and that year, in terms of results, it was the best year until it was cut short and I didn't get to participate in NCAA's. We didn't even start the conference matches and we didn't have fall season, so last year getting the Athlete of the Year was special not only because I love Saint Mary's but because of everything that had happened."
Kozyreva decided to stay in Moraga for her fifth year after COVID-19, and it was an easy decision for her to make based on how the past four years on the Saint Mary's campus had gone. Under the stewardship of Simon Harston, she rose to as high as No. 17 in the nation in the ITA and finished last season 11-1 in singles play, including remaining undefeated in three matches against nationally ranked opponents.
She said: "I have had the best years of my life here! It has been great, I have met a lot of great people, my best friends. Most of my friends have been my teammates, so even though people I started with have gone, a lot of new people have come in two or three years ago and they are great too. My time has been very fun and amazing on and off the court. The coaches have been amazing too and I feel lucky to have been part of this program.
"So, it wasn't a hard decision for me to decide to stay. When COVID hit I just felt I wanted to finish on a good note and not just be done. I wanted something more. Getting an opportunity to play for one more year - for the coaches, the team and Saint Mary's, as well as getting my masters was a really good thing."
After completing her Masters in Kinesiology and eligibility at Saint Mary's, Kozyreva hopes to make it as a professional tennis player, something she got a taste of as a young player as she won multiple singles tournaments, ITF Grade 5 tournaments in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Armenia, as well as reaching the semi-finals in a Grade 3 tournament in Turkey and the final in a Grade 4 tournament in Russia before her time with the Gaels.
The 2021-22 season has already gotten off to a great start for Kozyreva, as she is actively taking part in the annual Berkeley Tennis Club Challenge. The event has been held since 2018 and in the inaugural tournament, Sofia Kenin took first place in the singles division and later won the Australian Open in 2019. After winning a few qualifiers, Kozyreva drew the 75th-ranked player in the world in Saisai Zheng out of China, and in a shocking upset (shocking to those in the tennis world, not the SMC community), Kozyreva beat the top-seeded Zheng to advance to the second round where she will face Emma Navarro. Kozyreva won with scores of 4-6, 7-5, and 6-1.
Originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kozyreva's love for the game brought her to the United States, to a tennis academy just outside Sacramento, aged-13, as her talent on the court became more apparent.
"I was playing tennis professionally, and my parents found a tennis academy in the U.S. so I could play over here and go to school," explained Kozyreva. "I was 13 when I first came over and my mom came with me for the first year and a half, then I was coming by myself. It was really exciting, when you are 14 or 15 everything seems so great, especially when you are around a lot of friends and teenagers in the academy who, just like me, came from all different parts of the world. It was really fun."
Kozyreva was recruited by a number of large schools, but a connection to the coach at Saint Mary's saw her land in Moraga and it is clear she is very happy with the decision she made a handful of years ago. She is now looking forward to her final season with the Gaels and hopes to make it the best one yet.
"I have gone through a big growth as a person, which has helped me to develop my tennis as well," Kozyreva said. "I came to Saint Mary's when I had just turned 18, a crazy young teenager, and I really grew up here and turned into an adult. Thanks to the coaches who have been working on my tennis, I improved both as a person and a tennis player. I am excited for one more year here and hope it is even better than the rest."
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