Nicole Hoynaski Interview

An international student from Hawaii Pacific University came to the United States with a dream and a passion for tennis.

Nicole Hoynaski, 22, came to the United States from Sydney, Australia to pursue tennis during her college career. She said there were more opportunities for scholarships and awards for tennis in the US than in Australia.

Originally, Hoynaski said, she went to a Division 1 school in Memphis, Tenessee. After issues with eligibility for the NCAA, which she said was due to improper submission of paperwork, she had to look for other alternatives.

After deciding to leave Memphis, Hoynaski said she chose Hawaii Pacific University for two reasons.

“The coach at HPU was really nice and had a great personality,” Hoynaski said.

HPU is a Division 2 school, Hoynaski said, which helped with her eligibility and her decision to attend.

Hoynaski said she has been playing tennis since she was 4 years old.

“I did swimming and ballet as well,” Hoynaski said. “But tennis was kind of the only thing that stuck.”

During her time as a tennis player, Hoynaski said she has achieved a professional world ranking, as well as participated in the Australian Open Juniors, and has been to 18 countries around the world to get her ranking up to where it is.