locker room: very Superstitious

Pregame rituals of UB’s student-athletes

Tennis Player Dayana Agasieva

Print

Tennis player Dayana Agasieva has a laundry list of superstitions. To name two: The line judge must give the balls only to her at the start of the match, and only she can change the score on the scoreboard.

Agasieva, who grew up in Uzbekistan before moving to Queens, N.Y., says her quirks generally aren’t an issue. “I do it very smoothly, I guess,” says the junior sociology major. But there’s an exception to every rule. “I had a girl call me a psycho once. She was losing 6-0, 6-0, so I guess she was frustrated.”

an illustration of runner Dayana Agasieva pregame ritual.

Illustration by Hal Mayforth