MOBILE, Ala. – After helping the University of South Alabama women's tennis program begin the spring campaign with a pair of victories last weekend, junior Alina Zolotareva sat down to record this week's edition of "Inside JagNation."

In this episode of the weekly podcast of Jaguar Athletics, Zolotareva discusses playing dual matches compared to participating in individual tournaments in the fall, how she prepares for a match, her strengths on the court and what she does when she is playing well, and her success in doubles thus far this season with freshman teammate Yu Fujioka.  She also talks about her expectations upon arriving on campus, whether or not she had any difficulty joining the team in the middle of the season, and what she has improved the most over the last two years.

Other topics of the podcast include how she was recruited by the Jaguar coaching staff, why she was interested in playing tennis at the collegiate level in the United States, the biggest adjustment she had to make following the move to Mobile, and long-term plans after she finishes her playing career.

Click here for Episode 75 of "Inside JagNation"

Zolotareva — who hails from Barnaul, Russia — entered her junior season with career records of 27-9 in singles play and 27-11 in doubles action; she won both singles and doubles matches on Jan. 20 in helping the Jaguars open the campaign with home wins over Jackson State and Xavier (La.).  She joined the program in January 2016, posting a 10-4 singles mark and 13-4 record in doubles as South finished 21-6 after advancing to the championship match of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, while a year ago she was 17-5 in singles and 14-7 in doubles as the Jags went 21-5 following another appearance in the finals of the league tournament.

Click here for "Inside JagNation" archives

Individuals can search for "South Alabama Jaguars" on iTunes in order to download and listen for free to earlier episodes of "Inside JagNation."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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