Photo by: Kevin Snyder/MSU Athletics
Mikhailuk Making An Impact At MSU
April 08, 2022 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE – For the last three years, Alexandra Mikhailuk has been a key piece to the Mississippi State women's tennis lineup.
However, Mikhailuk's role off the court for the Bulldogs has been just as instrumental. The Ontario, Canada native has served as an impromptu interpreter and English tutor to many of her foreign teammates after they arrive in America.
"It's been very helpful with some of our French speaking girls on the team," Mikhailuk said. "Having a good background in English, I always try to help out the girls whenever I can."
Mikhailuk is fluent in both English and French but Russian is the first language she learned to speak.
"English is my dominant language now but I actually didn't speak English until I was about four or five," Mikhailuk said. "My mom is from Latvia and my dad is from Moldova and they lived all over Russia and the former Soviet Union area. So when they moved to Canada, we lived in a Russian area."
Mikhailuk went to a Russian daycare and a Russian tennis academy in her hometown of Burlington, about 45 minutes southwest of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario. Not only did she start learning English in elementary school, but she also started studying French as well.
Mikhailuk has taken French courses for 12 years and is currently minoring in French while at MSU.
CANADIAN CONNECTION
Mikhailuk grew up playing in tennis tournaments across Canada and the United States. She even competed in a tournament in Jackson, Mississippi as a teenager.
Around the age of 14, Mikhailuk set a goal to one day play tennis in the Southeastern Conference after getting glowing reviews from some of the older students from her school that had gone on to successful college careers in the United States.
"Since I was young, I watched a lot of the kids from my tennis academy grow up, graduate and then go to the States," Mikhailuk said. "They would always come back in the summer and tell me these stories about how amazing college tennis is and all the places they were getting to see. I thought 'America is pretty cool'."
Two years later, that dream started to change into a reality as Mississippi State head coach Daryl Greenan scouted one of Mikhailuk's matches when she was 16 and playing in the U18 Canadian Nationals.
"She impressed me with her athleticism, fighting spirit and her game was on a good track at the time as well," Greenan said. "The first time I saw her at nationals, she didn't have a good result but I could tell that we had a good athlete here. Her coach said that she's one of the hardest workers that there is and is an amazing kid. Since she's been here, she's proven him right."
It also didn't hurt that Mikhailuk hails from Ontario, which just so happens to be the same province that Greenan is from.
"I'm a proud Canadian," Greenan said. "It's nice to have a couple of Canadians on the team and for as long as I'm here, I'm going to try to keep it that way. We're still recruiting there and have another Canadian coming this fall."
After meeting Greenan and also conversing with associate head coach Sachin Kirtane and what would eventually be her future teammates, Mikhailuk was sold that MSU was the right university to take her talents to.
"The coaches are really what got me interested," Mikhailuk said. "Then when I got in touch with the girls on the team, it was basically a done deal. Even when coach and I met such a long time ago when I was 16, I was pretty sure I was always going to come here. I signed as early as I could, I was that excited."
Mikhailuk's excitement and enthusiasm about being a Bulldog has not waned.
"I've enjoyed every minute of it," Mikhailuk said. "I remember waking up in the middle of the night with my heart racing because I was so excited to be here that first semester. I couldn't believe this was happening."
CHANGING CUISINES
Mikhailuk's first year at State exposed her to an entirely different cuisine than she grew up eating in Canada.
"I had a meal plan my freshman year and I tried a lot of different foods," Mikhailuk said. "Some of them I liked and some of them I didn't. Fried catfish and stuff like that was all new to me but I enjoyed that very much."
Due to her parents' upbringing in Eastern Europe, Mikhailuk's diet prior to arriving in college consisted of foods from that region of the world. Now armed with a new taste palate, Mikhailuk is exposing her family to some new recipes as well.
"I learned how to cook a lot of the meals that I've had here and that's something that I've been able to bring home to my family," Mikhailuk said. "So Southern cooking is something we enjoy now. I'd really never eaten fried food. I know it's not the best for you, but sometimes it competes the meal."
Mikhailuk can vividly recall the look on her mother's face when she saw how much oil was in a pot on the stove the first time Mikhailuk made fried chicken for the family.
And while Mikhailuk believes she has several Southern food staples down pat in the kitchen, there is one dish that she is still trying to perfect.
"Grits are something that I'd never really noticed on menus before," Mikhailuk said. "I'm not even sure what it is or how to make it. I don't even know if I eat them authentically because I throw everything in it like cranberries, honey, nuts and whatnot. But it's good and nice when there's no oatmeal."
ON-COURT IMPROVEMENT
Mikhailuk owns 79 victories over her career with the Bulldogs and has a winning record in both singles and doubles.
Mikhailuk's junior season has been her best yet. She is currently tied for second on the team with three SEC singles wins, which is also a career-high for the Canadian. Mikhailuk's most recent victory came against then No. 86 Elise Mills of South Carolina on the road 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4.
"The biggest difference for me has been maturing on the court and learning to accept anything as it comes," Mikhailuk said. "I'm trying to get the most out of any experience and move on from it and be stronger from it. Whether it's an upset or a good win, I'm trying to use it as a steppingstone every time."
Mikhailuk is hoping she and her teammates can close out the regular season strong with several more wins to qualify for postseason play. Mississippi State won its last home match against Alabama and have two more at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre coming up this weekend against Arkansas and Missouri.
"I think all of the hard work that the team and I have been putting in is really coming together," Mikhailuk said. "We're all figuring things out. There's a lot of growth happening and I'm thankful for that. We're nearing the end of the season but we can still do a lot of damage."
Playing college tennis in the SEC has been a dream come true for Mikhailuk. And although attending college in a foreign country far away from her family is hard, the support she gets from her extended family at Mississippi State has made the transition much smoother.
"It's difficult being here away from my family and a lot of things that are familiar to me," Mikhailuk said. "But it's become familiar here with the help of my teammates, friends and the staff here. I could not ask for a better group of people. Mississippi State as a whole, they are so dedicated to their student-athletes. Everyone involved is down for the cause. It's very easy to come in here. If you work hard, they will give you the world."
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However, Mikhailuk's role off the court for the Bulldogs has been just as instrumental. The Ontario, Canada native has served as an impromptu interpreter and English tutor to many of her foreign teammates after they arrive in America.
"It's been very helpful with some of our French speaking girls on the team," Mikhailuk said. "Having a good background in English, I always try to help out the girls whenever I can."
Mikhailuk is fluent in both English and French but Russian is the first language she learned to speak.
"English is my dominant language now but I actually didn't speak English until I was about four or five," Mikhailuk said. "My mom is from Latvia and my dad is from Moldova and they lived all over Russia and the former Soviet Union area. So when they moved to Canada, we lived in a Russian area."
Mikhailuk went to a Russian daycare and a Russian tennis academy in her hometown of Burlington, about 45 minutes southwest of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario. Not only did she start learning English in elementary school, but she also started studying French as well.
Mikhailuk has taken French courses for 12 years and is currently minoring in French while at MSU.
CANADIAN CONNECTION
Mikhailuk grew up playing in tennis tournaments across Canada and the United States. She even competed in a tournament in Jackson, Mississippi as a teenager.
Around the age of 14, Mikhailuk set a goal to one day play tennis in the Southeastern Conference after getting glowing reviews from some of the older students from her school that had gone on to successful college careers in the United States.
"Since I was young, I watched a lot of the kids from my tennis academy grow up, graduate and then go to the States," Mikhailuk said. "They would always come back in the summer and tell me these stories about how amazing college tennis is and all the places they were getting to see. I thought 'America is pretty cool'."
Two years later, that dream started to change into a reality as Mississippi State head coach Daryl Greenan scouted one of Mikhailuk's matches when she was 16 and playing in the U18 Canadian Nationals.
"She impressed me with her athleticism, fighting spirit and her game was on a good track at the time as well," Greenan said. "The first time I saw her at nationals, she didn't have a good result but I could tell that we had a good athlete here. Her coach said that she's one of the hardest workers that there is and is an amazing kid. Since she's been here, she's proven him right."
It also didn't hurt that Mikhailuk hails from Ontario, which just so happens to be the same province that Greenan is from.
"I'm a proud Canadian," Greenan said. "It's nice to have a couple of Canadians on the team and for as long as I'm here, I'm going to try to keep it that way. We're still recruiting there and have another Canadian coming this fall."
After meeting Greenan and also conversing with associate head coach Sachin Kirtane and what would eventually be her future teammates, Mikhailuk was sold that MSU was the right university to take her talents to.
"The coaches are really what got me interested," Mikhailuk said. "Then when I got in touch with the girls on the team, it was basically a done deal. Even when coach and I met such a long time ago when I was 16, I was pretty sure I was always going to come here. I signed as early as I could, I was that excited."
Mikhailuk's excitement and enthusiasm about being a Bulldog has not waned.
"I've enjoyed every minute of it," Mikhailuk said. "I remember waking up in the middle of the night with my heart racing because I was so excited to be here that first semester. I couldn't believe this was happening."
CHANGING CUISINES
Mikhailuk's first year at State exposed her to an entirely different cuisine than she grew up eating in Canada.
"I had a meal plan my freshman year and I tried a lot of different foods," Mikhailuk said. "Some of them I liked and some of them I didn't. Fried catfish and stuff like that was all new to me but I enjoyed that very much."
Due to her parents' upbringing in Eastern Europe, Mikhailuk's diet prior to arriving in college consisted of foods from that region of the world. Now armed with a new taste palate, Mikhailuk is exposing her family to some new recipes as well.
"I learned how to cook a lot of the meals that I've had here and that's something that I've been able to bring home to my family," Mikhailuk said. "So Southern cooking is something we enjoy now. I'd really never eaten fried food. I know it's not the best for you, but sometimes it competes the meal."
Mikhailuk can vividly recall the look on her mother's face when she saw how much oil was in a pot on the stove the first time Mikhailuk made fried chicken for the family.
And while Mikhailuk believes she has several Southern food staples down pat in the kitchen, there is one dish that she is still trying to perfect.
"Grits are something that I'd never really noticed on menus before," Mikhailuk said. "I'm not even sure what it is or how to make it. I don't even know if I eat them authentically because I throw everything in it like cranberries, honey, nuts and whatnot. But it's good and nice when there's no oatmeal."
ON-COURT IMPROVEMENT
Mikhailuk owns 79 victories over her career with the Bulldogs and has a winning record in both singles and doubles.
Mikhailuk's junior season has been her best yet. She is currently tied for second on the team with three SEC singles wins, which is also a career-high for the Canadian. Mikhailuk's most recent victory came against then No. 86 Elise Mills of South Carolina on the road 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4.
"The biggest difference for me has been maturing on the court and learning to accept anything as it comes," Mikhailuk said. "I'm trying to get the most out of any experience and move on from it and be stronger from it. Whether it's an upset or a good win, I'm trying to use it as a steppingstone every time."
Mikhailuk is hoping she and her teammates can close out the regular season strong with several more wins to qualify for postseason play. Mississippi State won its last home match against Alabama and have two more at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre coming up this weekend against Arkansas and Missouri.
"I think all of the hard work that the team and I have been putting in is really coming together," Mikhailuk said. "We're all figuring things out. There's a lot of growth happening and I'm thankful for that. We're nearing the end of the season but we can still do a lot of damage."
Playing college tennis in the SEC has been a dream come true for Mikhailuk. And although attending college in a foreign country far away from her family is hard, the support she gets from her extended family at Mississippi State has made the transition much smoother.
"It's difficult being here away from my family and a lot of things that are familiar to me," Mikhailuk said. "But it's become familiar here with the help of my teammates, friends and the staff here. I could not ask for a better group of people. Mississippi State as a whole, they are so dedicated to their student-athletes. Everyone involved is down for the cause. It's very easy to come in here. If you work hard, they will give you the world."
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