Photo by: Sarah Triplett/MSU Athletics
Falceto's Late But Life-Changing Choice
March 10, 2022 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Growing up, Marta Falceto never really gave much thought about playing tennis in college.
However, Falceto's opinion started to chance once she saw how much her older sister, Laura, was enjoying her experience playing tennis at Florida Gulf Coast University from 2015-19.
So after opening up her recruitment, the Zaragoza, Spain native began hearing from schools across the United States and eventually narrowed her choices down to Mississippi State and Texas Tech. The Bulldogs won out thanks in part to having someone on their roster hailing from Falceto's home country.
"Sara Lizariturry was friends with my sister and told me about how it was here," Falceto said. "She told me that the team was amazing and there was a very good atmosphere on the team and that the girls were very nice. She talked very good about the coaches and that's basically what made me make the decision to come here along with her being here."
As a freshman, Falceto earned an upset win over No. 33 Ariadna Riley of Tennessee in singles and was 8-2 in doubles play before her 2020 season came to an abrupt halt due to the global pandemic.
"It was a little bit of a shock, as I imagine it was for everyone," Falceto said. "We were starting SEC and had played a few matches. I was starting to get used to that and get more comfortable with the system. I was enjoying it the most and then it just stopped. But I was excited to come back to the team the next year and keep competing."
And compete she did. Falceto was instrumental in the Bulldogs' biggest win of last season against No. 20 Tennessee. With the dual match tied 3-3, Falceto finished off Callie Creath in a three-set tiebreaker to clinch the victory for her team.
"That match is one that I will probably never forget," Falceto said. "It was a very emotional moment for me. It was one of our first SEC matches and it went 7-6 in the clinching match. I knew if I won the team would win and if I lost the team would lose so it was a lot of pressure but I tried to handle it the best way possible. It was very exciting.
"The moment that I actually won the match, all the girls came screaming and came to hug me. It was also a big win because Tennessee was highly ranked. It was a very motivating moment for me that I will never forget."
Now a junior, Falceto has posted a 7-7 record in singles this season along with a 9-9 doubles ledger. Since dual match play began this spring, she is 2-2 while also working towards her degree in mathematics.
"She's really been committed to all aspects of being a student-athlete," said head coach Daryl Greenan. "She does a great job academically and as an athlete she's become fitter, faster and has worked on her game to the point where she gives herself the best chance to help us."
ADAPTING IN AMERICA
Falceto has studied English her entire life and even went to an English academy back home in Spain.
And although Falceto felt fluent with the English language, she did experience some difficulties early on when she arrived in the United States for college. She credits her teammate Alexandra Mikhailuk with helping her improve her speech.
"I had a solid level but I wasn't really talking to anyone in English so having conversations was tougher for me," Falceto said. "I could understand them but I struggled more with speaking. At the beginning when I came here, the accents were tougher to understand. The first couple of weeks in class, it was hard to understand some things. But after that I tried to start talking more and not being so afraid of making mistakes."
Something else that Falceto had to adjust to was the cuisine in America, which is drastically different than what he was used to eating back home.
"I miss the food in Spain a lot," Falceto said. "It's different. It's natural and here there are more processed foods."
But there are a few foods that her taste buds have taken a liking to since she moved to Starkville during the fall of 2019.
"I'd never really tried peanut butter back in Spain," Falceto said. "But when I came here, I tried it and started liking it. The burgers are good, depending on where you go. I like sweet potato fries as well."
STARKVILLE IS SPECIAL
Mississippi State is thousands of miles away from Falceto's home but it is certainly a place in which she feels comfortable. She feels the entire campus and surrounding community has welcomed her with open arms since the day she arrived.
"Probably the best thing about Mississippi State is the people," Falceto said. "Since I came here, I've felt that the people around here are my family. They made me feel like I was at home. My team is my family and they've been a great support for me. The coaches have been a huge part of my college career as well and helped me a lot."
Now looking back on her "last minute" choice to come to college, Falceto has no regrets about the path she picked for herself.
"It's obviously not easy being a student-athlete combining school with sports," Falceto said. "It requires a lot of hard work and time management. But at the end of the day, I think it's worth it. I'm super happy that I made the decision to come to college in the U.S. and that I came to Mississippi State. My experience here has been amazing these past three years. You meet people from different countries and different cultures and meet people that you'll know for the rest of your life. It's an experience that I'd recommend to anyone."
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However, Falceto's opinion started to chance once she saw how much her older sister, Laura, was enjoying her experience playing tennis at Florida Gulf Coast University from 2015-19.
So after opening up her recruitment, the Zaragoza, Spain native began hearing from schools across the United States and eventually narrowed her choices down to Mississippi State and Texas Tech. The Bulldogs won out thanks in part to having someone on their roster hailing from Falceto's home country.
"Sara Lizariturry was friends with my sister and told me about how it was here," Falceto said. "She told me that the team was amazing and there was a very good atmosphere on the team and that the girls were very nice. She talked very good about the coaches and that's basically what made me make the decision to come here along with her being here."
As a freshman, Falceto earned an upset win over No. 33 Ariadna Riley of Tennessee in singles and was 8-2 in doubles play before her 2020 season came to an abrupt halt due to the global pandemic.
"It was a little bit of a shock, as I imagine it was for everyone," Falceto said. "We were starting SEC and had played a few matches. I was starting to get used to that and get more comfortable with the system. I was enjoying it the most and then it just stopped. But I was excited to come back to the team the next year and keep competing."
And compete she did. Falceto was instrumental in the Bulldogs' biggest win of last season against No. 20 Tennessee. With the dual match tied 3-3, Falceto finished off Callie Creath in a three-set tiebreaker to clinch the victory for her team.
"That match is one that I will probably never forget," Falceto said. "It was a very emotional moment for me. It was one of our first SEC matches and it went 7-6 in the clinching match. I knew if I won the team would win and if I lost the team would lose so it was a lot of pressure but I tried to handle it the best way possible. It was very exciting.
"The moment that I actually won the match, all the girls came screaming and came to hug me. It was also a big win because Tennessee was highly ranked. It was a very motivating moment for me that I will never forget."
Now a junior, Falceto has posted a 7-7 record in singles this season along with a 9-9 doubles ledger. Since dual match play began this spring, she is 2-2 while also working towards her degree in mathematics.
"She's really been committed to all aspects of being a student-athlete," said head coach Daryl Greenan. "She does a great job academically and as an athlete she's become fitter, faster and has worked on her game to the point where she gives herself the best chance to help us."
ADAPTING IN AMERICA
Falceto has studied English her entire life and even went to an English academy back home in Spain.
And although Falceto felt fluent with the English language, she did experience some difficulties early on when she arrived in the United States for college. She credits her teammate Alexandra Mikhailuk with helping her improve her speech.
"I had a solid level but I wasn't really talking to anyone in English so having conversations was tougher for me," Falceto said. "I could understand them but I struggled more with speaking. At the beginning when I came here, the accents were tougher to understand. The first couple of weeks in class, it was hard to understand some things. But after that I tried to start talking more and not being so afraid of making mistakes."
Something else that Falceto had to adjust to was the cuisine in America, which is drastically different than what he was used to eating back home.
"I miss the food in Spain a lot," Falceto said. "It's different. It's natural and here there are more processed foods."
But there are a few foods that her taste buds have taken a liking to since she moved to Starkville during the fall of 2019.
"I'd never really tried peanut butter back in Spain," Falceto said. "But when I came here, I tried it and started liking it. The burgers are good, depending on where you go. I like sweet potato fries as well."
STARKVILLE IS SPECIAL
Mississippi State is thousands of miles away from Falceto's home but it is certainly a place in which she feels comfortable. She feels the entire campus and surrounding community has welcomed her with open arms since the day she arrived.
"Probably the best thing about Mississippi State is the people," Falceto said. "Since I came here, I've felt that the people around here are my family. They made me feel like I was at home. My team is my family and they've been a great support for me. The coaches have been a huge part of my college career as well and helped me a lot."
Now looking back on her "last minute" choice to come to college, Falceto has no regrets about the path she picked for herself.
"It's obviously not easy being a student-athlete combining school with sports," Falceto said. "It requires a lot of hard work and time management. But at the end of the day, I think it's worth it. I'm super happy that I made the decision to come to college in the U.S. and that I came to Mississippi State. My experience here has been amazing these past three years. You meet people from different countries and different cultures and meet people that you'll know for the rest of your life. It's an experience that I'd recommend to anyone."
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