BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech women's tennis announced the addition of five players into the program on Thursday. The incoming class consists of two all-conference transfers, along with three accomplished high school players.
Arina Gamretkaia
Chisinau, Moldova
Theoretical Lyceum Antioh Cantemir (McNeese State)
Gamretkaia comes to Blacksburg after widely successful stints at Hillsborough Community College and McNeese State.
In the 2024 season, Gamretkaia posted a 15-3 record on Court No. 1 during the spring season, along with a 20-4 mark in doubles on the premiere stage, as well. Her success led to the Moldovan being named the Southland Conference's Newcomer of the Year, along McNeese State finishing runners-up in the league tournament. Paced by Gamretkaia, the Cowgirls earned their first ITA ranking in program history, coming in at No. 69 in the March 19th team rankings.
In the NJCAA ranks, Gamretkaia was part of Hillsborough Community College's 2023 national title team. Occupying the Court No. 1 spot in singles and doubles, she claimed both titles in the NJCAA Region 8 Tournament, while being ranked top-2 nationally in both singles and doubles nationally. Gamretkaia, the daughter of Ecaterina Gamretkaia and Igor Stoicev, is has a husband, Max Calincov, and a sister, Polina.
Tara Gorinsek
Slovenske Konjice, Slovenia
Gimnazija Ptuj (UT Arlington)
Gorinsek joins the Hokies following three seasons at UT Arlington that included four All-WAC selections, including first team all-conference in singles during the 2023-24 season. Playing primarily at No. 1 singles with an overall record of 11-8, she picked up WAC Singles Player of the Week honors for her straight-set win over No. 113 Natasha Pueshe (Grand Canyon).
In her sophomore season, Gorinsek was named first team All-WAC in doubles, occupying the No. 1 spot for UT Arlington. The Slovenian also earned second team All-WAC in singles for her work at No. 2 for most of the season. Gorinsek's freshman season was also notable, as she was named second team All-Sun Belt in a 22-win campaign.
Prior to college, Gorinsek had a successful junior career, reaching the semifinals at the U18 Summer National Championship and the Senior Winter National Championship in 2020, along winning the U18 Masters Vice title. An accomplished basketball player, as well, Gorinsek is the daughter of Primoz and Aleksandra Gorinsek, and has a brother, Luka.
Elizabeth Mendoza
Glen Allen, Va.
Collegiate School
Mendoza heads to Virginia Tech following an accomplished career at Collegiate School in the Commonwealth's capitol.
In 2024, Mendoza claimed a USTA L3 doubles title to complement her success at the high school level, which included four League of Independent Schools MVP awards. The Glen Allen native was named All-State on four occasions, along with first team All-Metro from 2021-2023. Mendoza was named the All-State Player of the Year in 2021-22, along with All-Metro Player of the Year in 2022-23.
Mendoza, the daughter of Angie and Jose, intends to study Business at Virginia Tech.
Mila Mulready
Burlingame, Calif.
Burlingame High School
Mulready joins the Hokies as a five-star recruit by TennisRecruting.com, ranking as high as top-10 in California and in the top-90 nationally. An accomplished player on the USTA circuit, Mulready has claimed two doubles championships (L3 G18s [Mesa, Ariz.], L2 G16s [Stockton, Calif.]), a singles crown (L3 G16s [Scottsdale, Ariz.]), along with a first-place finish at the L3 Mixed 16s Arizona Gold Team Challenge.
In 2024, Mulready was named the Junior Olympian for Athletic Excellence and Integrity by the Olympic Club. This honor followed an impressive 2023 for the Burlingame, Calif. native, which included an undefeated run in the 2023 NorCal vs. SoCal Maze Cup. As a four-year letterwinner for Burlingame High School Mulready occupied No. 1 singles for her team, twice winning the league championship.
Mulready intends to study Marketing Management while at Virginia Tech. Her mother, Kelly, played No. 1 singles and doubles for Michigan State, while her father, Dan, played collegiate tennis at UC Santa Barbara.
Linda Ziets-Segura
New York, N.Y.
Laurel Springs School
Ziets-Segura arrives in Blacksburg having held a top-five ranking in USTA 16s and 18s doubles, along with top-50 placement in USTA 16s and 18s singles. No stranger to silverware, the New York, N.Y. native has claimed five ITF doubles titles, along with making an ITF singles final.
A top-100 national recruit per TennisRecruiting.net, Ziets-Segura has won two USTA L1 national gold balls (2022 and 2023) in doubles, along with a silver ball (2022). She's been part of one USTA L1 team title, along with multiple L2, L3 and L4 singles and doubles titles.
The daughter of Robert Ziets and Carlos Segura, Ziets-Segura has a twin brother, Marco, who will play tennis at Colby College.