DENTON -- Intensity, fearless and leadership. These are three words I heard teammates, coaches and administrators use to describe Tamuna Kutubidze and Maria Kononova after the pair's last home dual meet at the Warranch Tennis Complex on Thursday.
The two started the match against SMU with a 6-4 doubles victory. The victory marked win no. 68 for the dynamic duo over the last four years, which is the highest in program history. However, this is just one of the many milestones these two earned.
Kononova and Kutubidze are just two of the seven Mean Green tennis players who were new to this country before stepping foot in Denton. The two international seniors come from unique backgrounds and have learned to adapt to a new life while thousands of miles away from home.
Kononova grew up in Ufa, Russia before coming to North Texas. After receiving several offers from schools in the U.S., Kononova decided to choose UNT over Louisiana Tech at the last minute. She said the decision to join North Texas is something she will never regret.
"When I got here, I had no idea what to expect," Kononova said. "Being able to take a look at my accomplishments after four years actually means a lot to me. I can say I found my second home here at North Texas."
Kononova will leave North Texas as the program leader in singles wins (81) and the highest nationally ranked singles player (No.41). She also has the program record for a victory over the highest ranked singles opponent when she beat the No. 2 player in the nation from FIU last year.
Kutubidze, on the other hand, is originally from Tbilsi, Georgia, and came to UNT looking to improve herself both on and off the court. She will leave North Texas second in program history in singles wins (70), but Kutubidze described this successful program as "more than tennis."
"This team right here is one of the closest groups I've been a part of," Kutubidze said. "I found light with this group of girls, and anytime I would struggle with something I would just try to stick with my team. I will have them with me in my heart forever. They are very special to me."
Kutubidze and Kononova won the 2018 ITA Texas Regional Doubles Championship for the first time in program history. The two were also ranked 19th in the entire nation at one point last fall, which also happens to be a program record.
"These two were program changers," North Texas coach Sujay Lama said. "They took the program to a whole new level. They put us on the map regionally and nationally, and because of them, our profile here at North Texas has become that much bigger."
While the two continue to rack up accolades, their time here at North Texas is not finished. North Texas travels to Houston this Thursday to start the Conference USA Women's Tennis Championships.
Right now, the two seniors are focused on winning the conference tournament and setting themselves up for a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament later this spring. If they haven't done enough for this program already, these two competitors want to have a shot to play for the whole thing.
"If we perform well at conference, we'll have a chance to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament" Kononova said. "We're going to take it day by day and try to win as much as we can for our team."
No matter how decorated and appreciated these two athletes are, they continue to stay humble and stick with the mentality that got them to this point. Winning for the team.
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