Texas Tech has added another top transfer, to the 2024-25 team, head coach Adam Herendeen announced on Saturday morning. Hlahola, an entering junior, spent her first two seasons at Belmont, setting numerous records and was the Bruins’ top player.
“We are confident that Mariia will join our team and have an instant impact! She has a very high ceiling, and we are delighted to assist her further develop her game. More significantly, she shares our program’s principles, and we are happy she has chosen to be a Red Raider.” Herendeen spoke.
In 2023-24, Hlahola guided the team to 13 wins, a 5-3 conference record, and third place in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). Hlahola led the Bruins to back-to-back MVC Tournament semifinal berths with a 21-7 overall record in singles, a 16-6 record on court one, and a 7-1 record in MVC play. She went 21-12 in doubles, with a 13-8 dual record, all on court one, and added four doubles wins in conference.
In her sophomore season, the Kyiv, Ukraine native was named the MVC Co-Player of the Year, was chosen to the MVC All-Conference First Team at No. 1 Singles, and won the MVC individual championships at No. 1 Singles and No. 1 Doubles last fall.
Hlahola earned two MVC Singles Player of the Week and four MVC Doubles Players of the Week awards in 2023-24, and she and teammate Anastasiya Zholdakova advanced to the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Tournament quarterfinals, defeating teams from Louisville, Miami (OH), and Purdue.
Hlahola helped Belmont to a 6-2 MVC record and a third-place finish in conference during her freshman year (2022-23). She was selected MVC Co-Freshman of the Year, All-Conference in singles, MVC individual champion in both singles and doubles, and a member of the 2023 MVC Women’s Tennis All-Select Team.
Hlahola had a 23-9 overall singles record, a 15-6 dual record, all at the top of the lineup, and a 5-2 MVC record during her freshman season. In doubles, she went 17-10 overall, 13-7 in dual matches on court one, and 6-1 in conference.
Hlahola was a two-time MVC Singles Player of the Week and MVC Doubles Player of the Week, with a strong 6-4 win over Auburn’s No. 8 pair of Ariana Arseneault and Carolyn Ansari to secure the doubles point for the Bruins on February 19, 2023. During the fall, Hlahola advanced out of qualifying in singles at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Tournament, where he defeated Purdue and Memphis players to reach the Round of 16. In addition, she and Zholdakova advanced from the doubles qualifying round and defeated a 1-seeded Xavier team.
Hlahola set records in just two seasons with the Bruins. She currently owns the Belmont records for most singles wins in a season, most singles wins by a freshman (23), most singles wins in conference (7), and most doubles victories in a season (21), six more than the next best duo.
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