Alina Kupfer made history for Point Loma Nazarene University with an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) West Regional Singles Championship victory in September.
As Kupfer neared the end of her final set in the ITA Championship on Sept. 27, one thought ran through her mind: “If you play your game, great things will happen.”
What followed was an incredible display of composure and comeback. Finishing her second set down 2-5, Kupfer pulled through, becoming the first player of PLNU’s Division II era to win an ITA Fall Regional Singles title.
Kupfer, a fourth-year transfer from Southern New Hampshire University and a Munich, Germany native, said that tennis is more than a sport for her. It is a place where she can forget her stresses, letting go of everything else.
“I just love the sport so much that it doesn’t feel like work,” she said. “It’s just enjoying it and being out there.”
Kupfer’s tennis journey began at 10 years old, initially just for fun. By 12, it was more than a hobby; it became a passion.
“Coaches told me I had talent, that I could make it to the college level,” she said.
Fueled by this encouragement, Kupfer began training daily and even attended a sports-centered school that allowed her to focus more intently on tennis.
Following her graduation, she set her sights on playing collegiate tennis, a dream that eventually led her to PLNU in the fall of 2024. Coach Curt Wheeler, who leads both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at PLNU, called Kupfer a “tremendous athlete” and praised the consistency and intensity of her game.
“Alina hits with a lot of force,” Wheeler said. “She’s very difficult to play against in that way, just because of the sheer speed and velocity that she plays with.”
Kupfer’s championship win at the ITA West Regionals was a testament to this. She didn’t lose a single set throughout the tournament.
Kupfer said she didn’t go into the tournament to make school history. Instead, she approached it with a mindset of enjoyment rather than pressure.
“I knew that this would probably be my last ITA, my last tournament,” she said. “So I was like, ‘OK, just try and enjoy it, go round by round, and you’re going to be fine whatever happens.’”
Wheeler emphasized the importance of mental toughness in tennis, especially in singles matches.
“Sometimes the inner battles are even more difficult than who you’re playing against,” he said. “But Alina has done a great job of playing against a difficult player almost every time that we have a team match. She brings her best every day.”
Kupfer’s impact extends beyond her performance on the court, according to one of her teammates, Melissa Zirkle, a third-year applied health science major.
“Alina is a true light on our team,” Zirkle said. “She shines her kindness to each of us in her own unique way, making us all feel loved.”
Zirkle added that Kupfer’s respectful and humble approach to competition also stood out.
“No matter the outcome, you know she will treat everyone with kindness,” Zirkle said. “After Alina won, we were all insanely pumped and excited for her. As a team, we ride the high of each other’s successes.”
Her success at regionals earned her a spot in the ITA Cup in Georgia, where she is facing off against the best Division II players in the country. It is a full-circle moment for Kupfer, who had competed in the same tournament earlier in her college career at her previous university.
“I feel so grateful just to be here and have all of this support,” Kupfer said. “It feels so awesome to be seen and to be a part of something so great.”
Cade Michaelson