It was a typical 8th birthday party for Marie Zalameda. She invited all of her friends and classmates to a local park to have a tennis-themed celebration. All of the kids were swinging their racquets around and slamming the balls out of the park as if they were baseballs.
For Zalameda however this was serious business. Even at 8 years old shewas perfecting her form in preparation to be on the Pepperdine women’s tennis team.
The 19-year-old Wave comes from the not-so-far-away land of Westwood Calif. When not at school Zalameda lives with her parents Rolly and Angie older sister Riza and younger sister Amanda.
This family though is centered around one common bond: tennis.
Her father Rolly is a former tennis professional. He coaches all three of his daughters in tennis and plays a major role in the success of each of them.
Riza the oldest daughter is a tennis professional as well and was a key player for the UCLA Bruins before she graduated five years ago. She was the Pac-10 Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2008 an All-American in singles and doubles and in 2008 led the Bruins to their very first NCAA Championship in women’s tennis. In 2009.
Marie’s younger sister Amanda is also following in her sisters’ and dad’s footsteps and is currently a sophomore on her high school tennis team. Marie was undoubtedly born to play tennis.
Zalameda began her high school career being home-schooled so that she could focus on perfecting her tennis skills. This hiatus from attending school clearly paid off. When she entered her high school Beverly Hills High as a sophomore she jumped right into the school’s tennis scene.
Zalameda eventually held the title of team captain. She then led her team to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Championships. She was also ranked in the top 20 of high school players in Southern California.
When the time came for Zalameda to choose a college it came down to UCLA or Pepperdine. “I wanted to stay close to home but UCLA was too close. Pepperdine was just 30 minutes away from home Zalameda described. So I can always come and have a home-cooked meal.”
Teammates coaches and Waves fans all agree that they are pleased with Zalameda’s choice.Her spunk and dedication to the team and the sport brings a fresh burst of energy to the court which is essential for any winning team. She always enters the court with energy and enthusiasm for every match.
“It’s been really fun playing with Marie in doubles these last two years explains doubles partner Anamika Bhargava. We work together. I don’t know what it is but we just understand each other’s game and how to use our strengths together.
“She is very talented and has an all court game which is great to have brags her partner. She is like a little sister and playing doubles with someone you really grow a strong relationship. We respect each other as players especially in doubles and that’s why it works so easily on the tennis court.”
Zalameda earned All-WCC first team honors in doubles as a freshman and was an honorable mention in singles. At the end of her first season at Pepperdine Zalameda was ranked 57th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in doubles. Zalameda and teammate Bhargava were the West Coast Conference Doubles Team of the Month in both March and April of 2010. The pair also won their last seven matches in the 2010 season.
Zalameda remembers one victory in particular quite vividly. Last year during the last home match Zalameda was up against a girl who she had lost to in a match before playing at the college level. The USC competitor was ranked in a top 20 spot but that didn’t intimidate Zalameda. Out of the set of three matches Zalameda beat her in two leading her to a memorable victory.
“That match has always stood out to me over all the others. It was a great feeling beating someone who is ranked so high.”
This rare talent for tennis doesn’t come fromjust practicing tennis occasionally. “We have practice every day for two to threehours with one day a week off Zalameda explained. Last year it was harder to manage my time since I was stillgetting used to college she remembered. But my high school got me used to balancing out all ofmy work with tennis.
“When we’re in season Zalameda continued,we miss a lot of classes so we have to communicate with our professors and it helps to manage a schedule.”
Despite the amount of time Zalameda dedicates to playing a practicing tennis she still plans on continuing her studies and graduating from Pepperdine in 2013 with a degree in Advertising.
The sophomore tennis player may have a demanding schedule but she still finds the time to have fun. Zalameda is passionate for everything she does both on and off of the tennis court. She loves to spend her free time like any other teenage girl hanging out with her friends. She also has a more creative side –she loves singing and dancing.
“I would love to do Songfest Zalameda smiled. [The students] are so talented but tennis definitely gets in the way of things like that.”
Zalameda has high hopes for the team during the remainder of her time at Pepperdine. She dreams of making it to the All-American quarterfinals of NCAA championships which is the top 16 in the nation. She also hopes to help her team qualify for the NCAA National Championships held this year at Stanford.
Zalameda’s passion and love for tennis is clear through the smile she wears on her face when she explains those last moments before a big match. Her game-day ritual includes stretching eating a high carbohydrate-filled breakfast and listening to her iPod to pump herself up by listening to her favorite artists Lykke Li and Keri Hilson. “I just try and breathe relax and tell myself ‘just have fun out there.'”