Many universities wanted Karolina Rozenberg to play tennis for them. Longing for that true, Southern California experience, she accepted a scholarship to play tennis for Long Beach State, majoring in international business. She has worn the black and gold uniform while helping catapult head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello’s team to the top.
“Karolina is a coach’s dream,” Hilt-Costello said. “She’s a great student, hard-working, responsible and respectful; I thoroughly enjoy coaching and watching her play.”
Hilt-Costello emphasized Rozenberg’s consistency in both singles and doubles throughout her tennis career at LBSU, noting that since her freshman year, she’s played a big role in helping the team win three Big West Championships.
Entering her senior year, Rozenberg is poised and confident—eager to get back on the court to win more matches and titles for the 49ers this year. She hopes to accomplish this with the help of her fierce two-handed backhand.
“I like my backhand—it’s a killer,” Rozenberg said.
Rozenberg spent most of the summer in Long Beach, running on the beach to stay fit for the long season ahead, which starts Sept. 19 at the UNLV Tournament in Las Vegas.
When asked about the big waves Southern California beaches have experienced recently, she just smiled and giggled.
“The big waves here are fun,” Rozenberg said. “I tried surfing once, and I kind of sucked.”
Coming back from summer, the team has started conditioning—sprinting, jump-roping and picking up where they left off last year in practices.
“Karolina has come back from summer focused and ready to compete,” Hilt-Costello said.
Hilt-Costello recruited Rozenberg to play for LBSU after taking notice of her impressive resume and skill set posted on a tennis recruiting website.
“Coming to [LBSU] was my number one choice,” Rozenberg said. “I had heard a lot about this area…all the movies are from here, so you like watch all the movies and want to live the same life,” Rozenberg said.
Like any Hollywood movie, Rozenberg’s over-5,000-mile journey to Southern California had some plot twists.
At first, her parents were against the move to America, lamenting that the Southern California lifestyle, with its beaches and great weather, would distract her too much from playing her best tennis game. She worked really hard in high school to get good grades and pass her exams so she could play for a university.
Rozenberg competed in over 30 world juniors tournaments in Europe to prepare for college play, however, she took some time off at the end of high school to focus on her studies. She said her tennis game wasn’t up to par when she came to Long Beach State.
“It was kind of tough to adjust at the beginning,” Rozenberg said. “I wasn’t really playing much at the end of high school because I was trying to focus on the exams, so it was hard to get back on the court with all the conditioning and three hour practices—I was kind of struggling.”
Soon enough Rozenberg got back into the rhythm of being a tennis star. In her first season as a ‘Niner, she posted a 12-7 record in singles and went 9-2 in doubles, earning an ITA Individual Academic Award along the way, meaning she maintained at least a 3.5 GPA.
As a sophomore, she earned Big West first-team honors in doubles with tennis partner Ebba Unden. The pair went 22-5 on the season and was a perfect 7-0 in conference play, eventually moving up to the No. 1 spot.
Last year, Rozenberg helped the team win their fourth straight Big West Championship, which secured their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Heading into this year, the possibilities are endless for this Russian 49er, both on and off the court.
“As a senior, I think she is going to finish with her best season yet,” Hilt-Costello said.
She will graduate this spring with an international business degree, and she said she hopes to work for the Port of Long Beach. Of course, that’s after she tries helping her 49er team win a fifth consecutive Big West title.