Commitment Profile
Countdown: Bihel Has 'Golden' Opportunity with Gophers
by Rick Limpert, 13 October 2015
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Grayslake, Ill., resident, and one of the top tennis recruits in the USTA Midwest section, Karyna Bihel may have been honing her craft since the age of four, but it took her until last year to realize she should give serious consideration to the possibility and opportunity to play college tennis.
"The summer before my junior year, I ended up getting to the quarterfinals of the Midwest Closed and beat some good players," said Bihel. "Then I started thinking about what I wanted to do in college and what kind of school I wanted to go to."
After careful consideration, and an official visit to the Twin Cities home of the University of Minnesota, Bihel said she was impressed.
"When I visited Minnesota back in November, I really liked the school and was impressed with the coaches. Even though I looked at a couple other schools, Minnesota was my top choice, and I was hoping to go there. After talking to Coach Whitney Taney and Head Coach (Chuck) Merzbacher, they gave me an offer, and I accepted - it's a great opportunity!"
Minnesota is coming off a 17-10 season with an 11-3 mark at home, with many matches played indoors at the Baseline Tennis Center. Bihel said she is comfortable knowing a lot of matches will be played indoors as she plays most of her tennis indoors in the Chicago area. With the exception of outdoor tournaments in the summer, she feels the indoor tennis environment suits her game. She also feels she can make an immediate impact with the Golden Gophers - especially when it comes to doubles.
Like many junior players, Bihel was introduced to the sport of tennis at a young age.
"I started when I was four, and my dad introduced me to the sport. He played, and he was my coach up until I was about eight."
At that point, Bihel was placed in the capable hands of Robby Budacsek, 2013 USTA Midwest Individual Coach of the Year, to further her training. Budacsek is the Director of Tennis High Performance at College Park Athletic Club outside of Chicago.
