Imagine you’re a 17-year-old girl in a new country, without your parents and speaking limited English. Now imagine having to add becoming an NCAA Division I athlete to your to-do list. Tough isn’t it?
That was senior Olga Fischer’s world four years ago as she settled into Milwaukee from her native Germany. She wasn’t used to the “grind,” though she would become much more comfortable with it as the time passed.
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It’s 3-1 in the first set and the Marquette senior tandem of Fischer and Gillian Hush is in control, having already broken their Louisville counterparts once. Up 40-15, it appears Fischer and Hush are about ready to go into cruise control.
Two points later, it’s 40 all as an unforced error and a Louisville winner has put the breaks on the runaway victory parade.
Marquette needs this point. Up a break, they can’t afford to give it back so easily. And as this is doubles, one set to eight decides the winner. Holding serve and getting it to 4-1 puts you firmly in the driver’s seat.
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As a sentimental senior, I made the trudge down to the Helfaer Tennis Center early Sunday morning — 9:45 a.m. is early in my book — to see off seniors Fischer, Hush and Kristina Radan on the women’s tennis team as they play in their final home match.
This is my fifth senior day this school year, having already taken in the men’s and women’s soccer and basketball teams’ festivities. What can I say, I’m a sucker for goodbyes — and the iPad they were giving away.
But Sunday was different than the previous four I had seen. One of the three seniors being celebrated prior to the matches wasn’t escorted by parents or family at all. Instead Jennifer Solorio, a senior in the College of Communication and master tweeter, was by her side.
Having missed the boat on the whole Jimmy Butler story, I wasn’t about to let this potential scoop pass on by.
Just as I expected, Solorio was not Fischer’s mother. She was not family at all, at least in the genetic sense.
But in some ways, she was much more than that. Solorio was Fischer’s roommate and cultural liaison in McCormick 831.
“I was 17, and it was the first time I was in the U.S. and in a new school system,” Fischer said of the first time she met Solorio. “It was a new culture, but she really helped me out with adopting to everything. She’s awesome.”
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Hush and Fischer have been battling to hold serve in the fifth game, staving off two game points already, while not capitalizing on two game points of their own.
Hush has been tremendous at the net this match, making the Cardinals pay for any weak shots with a pair of tenacious overhead slams. Fischer has been rock solid herself, controlling the tempo from the back line and dominating play with her ground strokes.
You can tell how badly they want this, their final doubles match at Helfaer. They gather after every point, good or bad, to talk shop and keep each other motivated. They know what this game means, and they refuse to give up or give in.
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Adjusting to a new culture can be an intimidating task. Sometimes you just need to let loose and participate in the world’s language: dance.
That is until you see what constitutes as dancing in this country. Fischer laughed as she told me the story of her first Snow Ball experience.
“Oh my God, yes. I was so excited to dance with my friends. Once I walked in, the people were grinding, and I was just like, no, this is not dancing. That was my first culture shock.”
Solorio remembers seeing Fischer’s puzzled expression and said her roommate was appalled at what was taking place.
So much for dance being the world’s language.
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It’s game point for the Marquette duo, but for all intents and purposes, it might as well be match point. Fischer misses her first serve and is forced to send over a softball, having already double-faulted once in this game.
Back and forth the little yellow ball goes until Hush decides she’s had quite enough. She takes two steps, winds up the racket and smashes home the winner at the net to give Marquette the commanding 4-1 lead.
Ball game.
Marquette rolls the next four games to win 8-1 and give the two seniors a happy farewell from the doubles game.
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That’s the beauty of sports right there. Two people on different sides of the planet brought together to forge an everlasting bond.
“It’s been such a road,” Solorio said. “I thought I’d get a roommate from the suburbs of Wisconsin or Illinios, and I get one from Germany instead. I loved it.”