'Dynamic' Belen Nevenhoven is making net gains, especially in doubles, during 2nd season at UA

Just over 19 months ago, life for UA sophomore Belen Nevenhoven changed — with a tennis racket in her hand 1,668 miles away from her hometown of Rockford, Illinois.

For Nevenhoven, the transition was a dream come true. She always had a desire to head west.

“I knew I didn’t want to be somewhere cold,” Nevenhoven said. “I also wanted to play in a Power Five conference, and so the Pac-12 is what attracted me the most.”

Nevenhoven is not new to the hype of competing at a Division I school. She is considered by many as one of the greatest tennis players to come out of the Rockford area. As a captain at Auburn High School, she won the sectional title every year and was on the cusp of winning a state championship her senior year but was unable to compete due to COVID-19.

But Nevenhoven still has room for improvement and adjustments, whether it’s the climate or the competition.

“When I came here, I didn’t think it was gonna be that much of a difference. But ... coming from a place where we only play outdoors like two or three months out of the year, to somewhere that’s all outdoors, playing girls from the West Coast, the game is completely different,” Nevenhoven said.

“So that was a big thing I needed to adjust (to). Just because back home I was so used to ... hard hitting, just everything flat, whereas here, there’s definitely a lot more shape, a lot more spin. ... And so that’s just changing my game and changing my mindset on how I have to play.”

The Wildcats host a pair of matches this weekend, vs. No. 26 UCLA on Friday and No. 29 USC on Saturday, coming off of a three-game road skid.

It sometimes can take years for tennis players to find their niche. Nevenhoven didn’t need even a second to know what she could bring to the table. For her, it was simple: Playing the net in doubles.

Growing up playing and excelling in doubles as a kid, Nevenhoven has woven that element into her game as a Wildcat and made her presence known as a freshman last season. She had a 12-11 record in singles, 12-16 in doubles. This year’s she’s 9-10 in doubles.

“I’ve always just loved doubles even when I was younger,” Nevenhoven said. “In doubles, I think just having natural confidence in my volleys helps me go for things and always want to try touch (on my shots).”

UA coach Ryan Stotland was familiar with Nevenhoven’s game before she arrived on campus but didn’t know she was available as a recruit until late in the process.

When Nevenhoven reached out to Stotland to express interest in coming to the UA, Stotland was sold and brought her on as a preferred walk-on after taking notice of her natural ability and seeing ways that he could utilize her game.

“She has amazing hands. She’s very dynamic. She can close the net like most people can’t,” Stotland said.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

“She has tremendous movement. She loves the net, and she’s not scared to move. ... (Playing) doubles is creating controlled chaos on the court, and that’s what she does really well.”

Stotland also noted that Nevenhoven “can cover the court in two steps” and that her wingspan has helped her thrive around the net.

“It’s a huge advantage,” Nevenhoven said. “Reflexes and reactions are much quicker, and that’s huge, especially when you’re at such a close distance from your opponent. Being able to recognize where the ball is and being able to react to it right away. Most people won’t even recognize that it’s coming at them, and so obviously that allows you to get a much bigger advantage during doubles matches.”

A tennis coach for 18 years, Stotland said that Nevenhoven “up at the net is probably the most dynamic player that I’ve ever had.”

“I’ve had some All-American doubles players, but Belen’s movement is one of a kind. …(She’s) a great kid, (she has) an awesome serve and has the fastest serve on the team consistently.

“We really love having her on the team. Seeing her get better and better has been one of the coolest things.”

Nevenhoven, whose original goal coming into the program was making the lineup, has exceeded her own expectations and has already made strides in her second season. Two weeks ago, she and sophomore Midori Castillo-Meza downed her home-state school, Illinois, in doubles 6-3.

A great deal of the sophomore success of Nevenhoven and Castillo-Meza, who have been doubles partners since their freshmen year, has come through their friendship and chemistry off the court, which has helped both players excel when they compete in a match. They’re 6-6 as a tandem this season.

“We’ve done hiking together, (we) go to the pool,” Castillo-Meza said. “I think it’s super important to get along outside the court because it reflects on what’s going on inside the court.

“I feel like now, this year, we can communicate without talking to each other, and we already read what we’re going to do. So it’s really nice.”