The Bona Venture

Issue date: 10/2/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Becky McKeown/The Bona Venture Manuela Marin-Salcedo smashes a serve in practice this week.

Recruited last year from sunny Miami, Manuela Marin-Salcedo entered this year with a promising freshman record. Finishing with a combined 9-7 record in primary and secondary singles, she also showed skill in doubles, finishing 9-9 in number one doubles with her partner Maria Barousse.

Her first victory occurred against Mercyhurst on Oct. 5. In singles, she hammered out a 6-2, 6-2 win in straight sets against the Lakers, followed by an 8-1 doubles victory with Barousse. Carrying that momentum to Niagara a week later, she gained the flight B singles title with a 6-3, 6-4 win.

In spring play, she gutted out a three-setter against Cleveland State winning a singles match 6-4, 1-6, 10-7 and gaining the only point of the day for the Bonnies. She did the same again March 1 against Xavier with a 7-5, 3-6, 10-8 win.

Her prowess and discipline elevated her to the top of the team, something coach Michael Bates hoped would happen.

"I knew coming in that she'd make a pretty good player, and we were hoping she would play at the top of her line-up. It worked out well for us because she's such a competitor and an unspoken leader out there on the court," Bates said. "You always want your number one to be the leader, and she's very capable of doing that."

Marin-Salcedo displayed a similar confidence and humility towards her rise.

"I've been playing tennis for a while," she said. "It was my life, and then last year it was my life, too. So it wasn't really any different. It was hard to adjust to college matches and being on a team again, but it's been fun."

Years of practice underlie this buoyancy. She began lessons at age six when her mother funded tennis lessons for her and her siblings. At age 12, Marin-Salcedo had to choose to stay with tennis or pick another sport.

"I chose tennis," said Marin-Salcedo. "At the time it seemed nicer because it was more of an individual thing. And that may seem selfish, but I just liked the feeling that I had to depend upon myself."

With that individual rigor, she gained the skills necessary to play collegiate tennis, but joining the Brown and White, she found a different philosophy entirely.

"In college, it's a team sport," said Marin-Salcedo, "and I really like that part, too, because I have other people. It's basically a family."

Continued...

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