Vicky Lozano had no intention to play college tennis. Her plan was to play professionally and she hadn’t given much thought to attending a university in the U.S., let alone in Idaho.
Parker Wilson | Argonaut
Senior Vicky Lozano prepares to return a serve during Tuesday’s practice at the Memorial Gym tennis courts. She will play her final home match there on Friday against Oregon.
But when her twin sister, Ale, visited the University of Idaho on a recruiting trip to meet with tennis coach Jeff Beaman, she had no idea it would change her own plans.
Beaman said it was during Ale’s recruiting trip when her mom mentioned she knew someone else who might be interested in playing college tennis.
“Near the end of the visit, the mom talked to me about if we had another scholarship open and they might know somebody,” Beaman said. “And I was like ‘Well you know, we potentially have one. But let me know, we’ve got to see if it would be a fit and actually talk to that person.'”
Beaman said Ale gave her mom a look he couldn’t quite read, but he said he’d catch up with them later in the day, after they’d finished their campus tours. Just before they left, the Lozano’s mom pulled Jeff aside and told him about Ale’s twin sister, Vicky. She told him Vicky had no intention of to going to college, but felt Idaho might be a good fit for her.
“I had no clue that she had a sister, much more a twin sister,” Beaman said. “I told the mom, ‘Hey let’s talk about it a little later.'”
That’s when Beaman looked up Vicky Lozano and discovered her record. At the time, she was ranked at 604 in WTA pro tour doubles, 1,068 in WTA pro tour singles and 357 in ITF international juniors. That’s when Beaman knew he had a shot at something special.
“I definitely made a point to go catch the mom … and said, ‘Hey I’m pretty sure we can have a scholarship open and if Vicky has any interest, let’s work on this,'” Beaman said. “Everything fell into place from there”
Now, Vicky Lozano is the top doubles and singles player on the women’s team, and Beaman said that’s been the case for 95 percent of her matches since her freshman year. She has gone undefeated in singles and doubles multiple times since joining the team and has found significant success in many of the tournaments she’s played in the offseason — including a chance to play in the U.S. Open in mixed doubles.
Vicky Lozano said looking back, she’s glad she made the decision to come to UI and thinks it was a better deal to play in college than it would have been to play professionally.
“I had two options,” Vicky said. “I had the option of going professional or going to college. I was more inclined to play professionally. But since my sister was coming here, I think Jeff took the opportunity to talk to me and just tell me that it was a chance and a good experience to play in college and I had the opportunity to play professionally after college too. So I think it was a better deal for me to come to college.”
Beaman said he felt lucky to recruit Vicky, considering she wasn’t planning on going to college in the first place and that if she had been, she could have gone to many of the top ranking tennis schools in the nation.
Vicky said once she considered playing college tennis, she didn’t have a lot of time to look at other universities. But she said Idaho turned out to be the perfect fit and the best decision she could have made.
“I’m from a big city, but my personality is more like a small town so I like it here,” Vicky said. “I have a lot of things to do here, because I like to do a lot of outdoor activities and here you can do everything … hiking, climbing, sports, everything.”
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Vicky started playing tennis at age 8. She grew up in a tennis family and learned from her relatives. Her uncle, Jorge Lozano, was ranked as high No. 4 ATP doubles and No. 51 in singles. She said he had a great influence on her tennis success.
“I learned the habit of having sport and having exercise for life and I think that’s the most important thing,” Vicky said.
Coming to Idaho from the tropical climate of her hometown in Mexico was a big transition for Lozano. But she said making the transition with her sister by her side was both helpful and necessary for her adjustment.
“It’s great because we’ve had a lot of support with each other,” Vicky said. “It’s a different experience. You come by yourself and make friends by yourself, but when you have a sister you have already a bond, you have something to support. You have a friend already for free in the team.”
With little time left as a player at Idaho, Vicky said the friends she’s made, experience she’s gained and knowledge she’s earned from her classes have all made the decision to attend UI worth it. In regard to tennis, she said she’s matured and become a stronger player both mentally and physically on the court — something she hopes to continue to do in her remaining matches for Idaho.
The team is currently 16-4 overall, and 3-1 in WAC competition, with Vicky leading the way as the No. 1 player on the women’s side. Beaman described Vicky as a leader on the court and said her dedication, focus, hard work and desire for structure are what have lead to her success.
“It feels great but I think it all happened because we started strong since the beginning of the semester,” Vicky said. “Especially me, I had the goal of improving my mental game and I think that affected the whole team. I think at the start of the semester I saw the team working harder so I think my goal of improving … motivated the other girls to work harder. We have kept that rhythm and it’s a great feeling”
Beaman said her “ridiculous talent” on the court didn’t hurt either. Vicky came into college with one of the only one-hand backhands in women’s tennis, and Beaman said that, in addition to her many other skills, has made her one of the most diverse women’s tennis players.
“That’s something that can also be an issue for her in that ‘How do I play? How do I adjust this situation, or I won the second set and it’s almost like I’m bored, let’s try to win the second set a different way,'” Beaman said. “Where a lot of players can’t play that many ways.”
As she nears the end of her senior season, Vicky has reconsidered her desire to go pro immediately. She instead wants to pursue a graduate degree, while at the same time playing and staying involved in the tennis world.
“I’m going to play tennis my whole life,” Vicky said. “Now I’m in a competitive level, but maybe later as I get older it will be more of a relaxing thing — but it’s a big part of my life.”
In the meantime, Beaman is faced with the task of replacing one of the best players he’s had, even if he might not have recruited her had it not been for Ale.
“You lose your top player and that’s a huge hole to fill,” Beaman said. “To bring in someone that was in the top 700 coming out of college is something that’s generally not happening at Idaho.”
For now, Vicky is just looking forward to enjoying the rest of the season.
“I want to enjoy to the fullest my tennis, of course competing well, but it’s a different kind of pressure I think so I want to enjoy everything,” Vicky said. “My classes, my practices, my free time, everything despite the ups and downs that you may have.”
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected]