In English, sophomore Alejandra Guerra’s name would translate into ‘Alexandra War.’ According to coach Hans Olsen, Guerra is just that: a warrior for the women’s tennis team, particularly when the match is on the line.
“Everything for her picks up in match situations,” Olsen said. “She’s more motivated. She’s more confident. She’s more intense. She’s more energetic. Yeah, I’d say she’s a warrior in match situations.”
But before Guerra began helping the Wolfpack earn match points, she was dominating the courts more than 1,300 miles away in her hometown of Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Before N.C. State
Before coming to the United States, Guerra was the No. 1-ranked female tennis player for her age group for roughly six years in Mexico. On three different occasions, she was the singles and doubles national champion of Mexico. And according to Guerra, she holds the Mexican record for most national titles among girls.
Guerra said such early success in Mexico helped catch the eye of N.C. State assistant coach Mait DuBois and landed her a scholarship.
“I was playing a few ITF tournaments in high school, and Mait flew down there and saw me. And we talked, and I liked him,” Guerra said. “He offered me a scholarship, and that’s pretty much how it happened. We had been talking before that, but he decided to fly down there and get to know me and my family, and we got to know him.”
Though Guerra continued competing in ITF events in Mexico, she spent her sophomore and junior years of high school at Saddlebrook Prep in Florida. Guerra said she used this time to adjust to life in the United States and compete at another level.
“It was a boarding school. I went there for two years and went back to Mexico for my senior year and graduated. I was 15 when I left. I wanted to leave earlier, when I was younger, but my parents wouldn’t let me. I went with six other Mexican friends, so [the transition] wasn’t as bad because I had friends,” Guerra said.
“But the English was kind of tough. I didn’t speak fluently yet, until those two years. But being on your own, doing your bed, doing it all by yourself made it a transition.”
After high school, Guerra reported to Raleigh and began a college career she said she greatly anticipated.
“I always wanted to go to college in the United States,” Guerra said. “Other colleges offered me, but it was pretty much N.C. State for me.”
Life at N.C. State
Since arriving at N.C. State, Guerra has begun to shine, according to Olsen. Guerra boasts a 14-7 singles record for the Pack this season, playing at No. 2 through No. 5 at different parts of the season.
Perhaps the most notable achievements in her young college career, though, have come in doubles with freshman Daria Petrovic. They are ranked No. 24 nationally, and in the past four matches alone, they have defeated three national top-10 doubles tandems from around the ACC. In the team’s last regular season match against Duke, Guerra and Petrovic helped make history by defeating the No.-5 duo in the nation and leading the Pack past its highest-ranked opponent in school history.
Guerra said it helps that Petrovic, from Spain, and senior Agustina Arechavaleta, from Uruguay, also speak Spanish.
“I just feel like there’s a little bit more of a connection between the Spanish speakers,” Guerra said. “I don’t speak in Spanish except to them. It’s good to sometimes pick it up a little bit, especially since we have different cultures. We still have things in common.”
Olsen said the communication between Petrovic and Guerra is a large part of what makes them so successful.
“It’s definitely communication,” Olsen said. “It hasn’t always been that way; they’ve really improved on their communication in figuring out how to talk to each other in match situations. I would say that that’s obviously really picked up in the last three weeks. They went through a period where they were kind of figuring it out.”
Olsen added that the duo’s different styles complement each other. This, he said, helped account for the upsets over the No.-3, No.-5 and No.-9 doubles pairs in the nation over the past few weeks.
“Daria has a really heavy ground stroke,” Olsen said. “And Alejandra is really sharp finishing volley. Figuring out how they can blend those two things together is what is working for them now. They really complement each other well with their different styles.”
As for how she likes North Carolina compared to Mexico, Guerra said she enjoys the college life and has adjusted to the cultural differences.
“It’s not so much tennis-wise,” Guerra said of her doubles tandem. “It’s the connection we have and putting that on the court. It’s a wonderful team. All the girls get along, and we all help out each other.”
