Up Close With Adriene Pavek

POCATELLO, Idaho- Adrienne Pavek has grown up with a tennis racquet in her hands. The Bengal junior has swung the racquet on the courts of Pocatello since she was six years old. Several years later she was competing in tournaments by the age of 11.

"Both of my parents play and that is how I got started," Pavek said. "We would go out as a family together. I really enjoy it because it is a family activity. When we go on vacation we go and do it for fun. Both my parents understand what it is like to play a tennis match, how to score, when to cheer and when not cheer."

As Pavek excelled in tennis the opportunity to play beyond high school started to become a reality. Playing for Idaho State was an opportunity that Pavek wanted. Thanks to the experiences Pavek had in her training sessions growing up, the door was opened.

"In Pocatello we don't have a lot of tennis academies," Pavek said. "My main form of training is I would hit with women or men who were on ISU's team. Then I started traveling to bigger tournaments in Vegas and Denver."

Pavek also got to know the Idaho State coaches when she attended home matches.

"When I was in high school I went to watch ISU a lot and started talking to Gretchen and training hard for the opportunity," Pavek said.

Maloney saw Pavek's potential and would give her the opportunity to play at Idaho State.

"I knew she knew how to win and she was a volleyball player so I loved that," Idaho State tennis coach Gretchen Maloney said. "Her whole mindset is she is a worker bee. She does whatever it takes and she never complains. She is one of the fastest girls on the team when we have a sprinting contest. She is pure joy."

The first recruiting meeting happened to be at chipotle, one of the teams favorite eating places.

"I was really nervous to talk to her," Pavek admitted. "She was super nice and cared about us as an individual and not just a tennis player."

Maloney said Pavek has been a perfect fit with the program.

"Adriene is a joy," she said. "I love that kid. She was a walkon. She didn't care about that because she is here academically because of her scholarship. She is happy and works so hard on the court and in the class room. The girl is brilliant. I have been blessed to have her. She has improved a ton. She didn't have some of the training some of the other girls had. Being from Idaho the level wasn't as quite high as some of the other girls. She pushes everyone so hard at practice. She is another who like a human backboard. She refuses to miss. It makes it difficult to beat her."

Pavek's success in the classroom has been just as impressive.  

The biology major with a business minor plans to attend medical school following her time at Idaho State.

"I love watching surgery but I also love a nice life style," Pavek said. "Right now my top three choices are dermatology, ophthalmology or oncology. All of those specialties do a lot of procedures but they aren't on call."

The idea of working in medicine puts all of Pavek's love into one setting.
 
"I just think it is amazing," Pavek said. "I think it is fascinating what we can do in terms of medicine in treating diseases and understanding diseases. It combines my love of science with helping others. Being in medicine gives you an invitation to some of peoples most important moments in their lives and most vulnerable.

"If you ask a parent the most memorable day in their life they will probably tell you the day their kid was born. So being a doctor you get an invitation to share that moment with people."

Maloney added, "She is such a great person with a huge future ahead with medical school. She has balanced academics and athletics so well."