Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech's Dynamic Duo
November 05, 2001 | Women's Tennis
Nov. 5, 2001
By Kyle Sturgell - Texas Tech Media Relations -
Beverly Dawson and Irina Tereschenko display two completely different styles of play when they step on the tennis court.
As described by Texas Tech women's tennis coach Virginia Brown, Dawson has a "kamikaze" style of play-not in the mold of the basic tennis player, having the ability to do things out of the ordinary.
"She (Dawson) makes shots at the net that I haven't seen players on the tour make," Brown said.
On the other hand, Brown describes Tereschenko as a "basic" player-one that is an all-around talent who is constantly learning.
"She (Tereschenko) is a scholar of the game and understands it," Brown said.
Now if you were to make an analogy regarding Dawson and Tereschenko, one may say they are like fire and ice. Dawson, like fire, in that she has the uncanny ability to ignite a rally or capture the momentum with an extraordinary play. Tereschenko, like ice as her smooth style of play holds the team together.
Normally fire and ice are regarded as opposites, two things that just don't work well together. In this case, fire and ice make the perfect combination.
Texas Tech's women's doubles tandem of Beverly Dawson and Irina Tereschenko are taking the college tennis world by storm in their quest to bring national recognition to the Red Raider women's tennis program.
Dawson, a 5-9 junior from Odessa, Texas, came to Texas Tech after playing her freshman year at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. As a sophomore for the Red Raiders, Dawson competed as high as the No. 3 seeded player on the squad, including a win over a player representing her former team from TJC. In the fall 2001 season, Dawson is off to a solid start, highlighted by a quarterfinal appearance in the consolation bracket of the Rolex Tournament held last month in Fort Worth, Texas.
Tereschenko, a 5-8 sophomore from Moscow, Russia, arrived at Tech in 2000. As a freshman, Tereschenko made an immediate impact for the Red Raiders, as she assumed the No. 1 position after teammates suffered injuries. The freshman from Moscow wouldn't disappoint as she compiled a 12-5 mark, en-route to being named to the All-Big 12 team. Tereschenko began the 2001 fall season ranked 60th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's top 100 list, to go along with a No. 5 ranking in conference.
When coach Brown decided to bring these two styles of play together, she felt she had the recipe for success.
"A good doubles team consists of a basic player with one that can do some extraordinary things," Brown said.
In the case of Dawson and Tereschenko, she was right on target.
In their first season as a tandem, Dawson and Tereschenko compiled an unbelievable record of 14-3, including 6-3 in Big 12 play. In 2001, the duo is picking up right where it left off.
In October, Dawson and Tereschenko entered the Rolex Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas as the No. 10 seed in doubles play. Expected to do well, but not much more than that, Texas Tech's dyanamic duo shocked the collegiate tennis world. Dawson and Tereschenko won the tournament, claiming one of 16 regional titles from around the country, earning them and the Red Raider tennis program something unprecedented in Texas Tech women's tennis history: a birth in a national tournament.
When Dawson and Tereschenko travel to Farmers Branch, Texas to compete in the Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, Brown feels the opportunity they have obtained serves as the first major step towards the team's ultimate goal.
"We're striving for a national ranking," Brown said. "The top 16 doubles teams in the nation will be there and this is our chance to take a step towards our goal."
I'm sure Dawson and Tereschenko will not disappoint.
So just how do fire and ice work together in this case?
"We're just clicking," Dawson, or fire, said.
Simple enough.
