Writing HERstory: Arina Gamretkaia’s Rise on and off the Court

Nestled in the heart of Eastern Europe, Moldova is the least visited country in Europe. The country itself only spans the size of Maryland and is home to just 2.5 million people, one being Virginia Tech’s own Arina Gamretkaia.

Gamretkaia grew up in the capital city of Moldova. Located in the center of the country, Chisinau is known for incredible architecture, rich culture and vast green spaces. The city is nicknamed the “green capital” due to the numerous parks and nature preserves.

Gamretkaia’s family was incredibly tight-knit growing up. Because the country itself is very family oriented, she and her sister were always surrounded by loved ones and would spend every holiday with her large extended family and relatives.

When she wasn’t spending time with her family or enjoying Chisinau’s multiple river beaches or hiking trails, Gamretkaia was at the tennis court.

From the age of four years old, she had a tennis racket in her hand. Her grandfather, Alexander, initially inspired her to begin the sport and by the age of six, she was winning tournaments and making a name for herself.

Gamretkaia quickly began playing in tournaments across Europe alongside her grandfather. An amateur tennis player of 20 years, Alexander would oversee her junior tennis career and assist her in decision making when it came to her future in the sport. The two became inseparable in the tennis community and bonded over their shared love of the sport throughout her upbringing. He tragically passed away in October but continues to be the main source of inspiration for Gamretkaia.

She always knew she wanted to come to the States for school. The junior initially began at JUCO power Hillsborough Community College (Florida), where she would go on to win the National Championship on CourtNo. 1 with her team in 2023. Gamretkaia ended her time at Hillsborough ranked top-two nationally in both singles and doubles.

Following her successful two years at Hillsborough, the junior played a season at McNeese State in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She posted a 15-3 record on Court No. 1 and was named the Southland Conference’s Newcomer of the Year. When asked why she decided to transfer to Virginia Tech, Gamretkaia stated that she had always wanted to play for the Hokies.

She ended up receiving a response and an offer to join the team. The transfer instantly made an impact on the program, earning a starting position on both Court No. 2 in doubles and Court No. 4 in singles. Most recently, Gamretkaia secured a win on Court No. 5 in the second round of the ACC Championship, earning her first ever ACC Championship win.

Prior to joining the team here, the Chisinau native had met some of her new teammates. The tennis community in Europe is incredibly small, so small that in a tournament in Turkey, Gamretkaia would face off against Virginia Tech junior, Özlem Uslu.

The Championship that led to the two future teammates meeting was one of Gamretkaia’s fondest tennis memories. She ended up winning in the final of the Eastern European Championship in Turkey after a challenging two-week tournament. Gamretkaia explained how proud she was of herself for remaining disciplined on the court and how she was able to overcome difficulties early on in the match. This match marked her first international win.

After reconnecting with Uslu and joining the team, Gamretkaia mentioned how welcoming the community is at Virginia Tech and how being on such a large team is nothing that she has experienced before.

“I feel that here we have more orientation in sisterhood,” she said. “We are very close with our coaching staff, Terry, Megan and Bronte – they make a huge difference.”

With one additional year left of eligibility, Gamretkaia hopes to continue to make an impact on the program and continue to develop her skills on the court. She is looking to have a successful senior season and to play at an even higher level than she is now. Gamretkaia described how transitioning to playing in the ACC proved difficult and she hopes to harness what she has learned in the past season to prepare for the 2025-26 year.