W. tennis’ Yaroshuk battles through growing pains
Free from injury, junior player returns to lead UCLA toward
national title
By Chris Isidro
It was a setting completely foreign to her, the pre-qualifying
in Pacific Palisades. Playing in a position typically reserved for
players who have not proven much in their careers, Paige Yaroshuk
began her comeback in collegiate tennis …
When she picked up her first racket at 9, Yaroshuk enjoyed going
to the court with her parents and batting the ball. However, it was
not her only passion.
"I played soccer and softball and I never realized I was good in
tennis until later," Yaroshuk said. "I enjoyed playing it, though,
and when my parents said I should pick one sport, I chose
tennis."
The Florida native enjoyed early success, ranking among the top
10 in juniors. Colleges were knocking on her doorstep, but UCLA had
her in the bag the whole time.
"I chose UCLA because I came out here when I was about 11 years
old on vacation," Yaroshuk said. "I saw the tennis stadium and told
my dad this is where I want to go to school."
At her final national junior tournament however, Yaroshuk’s
fortunes took a turn for the worse.
"I was at nationals when I felt a pain in my arm," Yaroshuk
said. "The trainers said it was a pulled muscle, but it went on and
on and finally that year I had nerve surgery on the arm after I had
already signed at UCLA."
"I was really fired up to come to UCLA and play tennis," she
added. "But (surgery) really threw me on my butt because I never
got injured before."
Yaroshuk sat out the early season of her first year as a Bruin.
When the dual matches began, she found herself in the lineup. But
just as she was getting back into the swing of things, the
Floridian was bitten by the injury bug again.
"We were playing Kentucky and we had already won the match in
singles so we were just playing the double for practice," Yaroshuk
said. "I threw my shoulder out on a serve and it was really
frustrating because it didn’t even count."
While it would be tempting for others to take it easy and sit in
the bleachers the rest of the season, Yaroshuk heard her calling to
the courts, injured or not.
"I remember, after matches, going into (head coach Bill Zaima’s)
office and he’d say maybe it’s not worth it to play or I’d say I
can’t play this match," she said. "It was just frustrating because
the majority of time I wouldn’t practice Monday and Tuesday, hit
some the next two days, then play the weekend matches. I couldn’t
get in any sort of rhythm.
"The wins and losses, and I had my share of losses, didn’t
matter as much because I was happy just out there playing,
especially after sitting out with my surgery."
Yaroshuk played the 1992 season in the No. 4 position and
finished with a respectable 12-9 record in dual matches. But
despite what the numbers said, the shoulder was getting no
better.
"I knew something there was wrong, but the coaches and the
doctors didn’t know what was going on," Yaroshuk said. "They
thought it was overuse but I’m thinking everyone else is doing the
same thing I am. This can’t be overuse, it’s a bum shoulder."
Soon after returning for her sophomore campaign, the shoulder
began aching again. Yaroshuk hoped to redshirt that season, but
once again her luck soured.
"I asked Bill if I could redshirt my second year and as it
worked out, I played in two matches too many," she said. " He said
I couldn’t get my year back and I said OK, I’ll suck it up and
play."
The sophomore season became a long grind for Yaroshuk. The pain
was worse than ever and her psyche began to feel the effects.
Tennis just was not enjoyable for the fun-loving Yaroshuk.
"I couldn’t serve for more than a set and by the time it got to
doubles, it was really hard to continue," she said. "It also
affected my head. I’m out there thinking, I’m not practicing as
hard as the other player, so I wondered how I could beat that
person."
After completing a grueling year, where the Bruins finished 9-22
with an early exit from the NCAA’s, Yaroshuk finally went under the
knife to take care of that shoulder once and for all. Surgeons
cleaned out the bone spurs and removed scar tissue building up in
the joint.
Rehabilitation involved strength building sessions and a dose of
home cooking. Yaroshuk stayed in Florida for five months and stayed
away from the tennis scene. The time away caused her to focus and
reflect on the last two years.
"It was great," she said, "I just totally hung out and did
nothing for the whole summer and fall. I asked myself if tennis was
so important to have two surgeries to continue, but when I got back
to UCLA, I missed being out on the courts again."
Entering her junior season and a new beginning, Yaroshuk was
voted team captain. One of her jobs, she feels, is to talk about
subjects Zaima won’t even touch.
"Bill always says we can do well," she said. "But I just wish he
would spit it out and say we’re going to win nationals this
year."
… Back at Pacific Palisades
"God dammit, this sucks  I lost in pre-qualis," Yaroshuk
said to herself after falling in the second round. But while she
lamented over her defeat, Zaima pulled some strings and gave
Yaroshuk new hope finding a place for her in qualifying.
Yaroshuk capitalized on her second chance, winning three rounds
of qualifying and blazing through the main draw to reach the
quarterfinals of the All-American Tournament, a grand slam
event.