Iowa women’s tennis player Barbora Pokorna knows what pressure feels like. In the first round of Big Ten Championships last season in Iowa City, the then-freshman found herself in an uphill battle with potentially the season on the line.

Facing Michigan State, the Hawkeyes took the doubles point from the Spartans. Then, they saw that 1-0 lead turn into a 2-1 deficit as the Hawkeyes dropped their first two singles matches. Playing at the No. 2 singles position, Pokorna’s result would either give the Spartans a commanding lead or keep Iowa in contention.

After dropping the first set, 6-2, Pokorna recovered with a 7-5 victory to even the series. In the deciding third set, she found herself trailing, 5-2, her opponent just one game win away from taking the match.

“I was literally talking to myself, saying, ‘I’m going to win this match for the Hawks. I’m going to win this match. I’m going to turn this around,’” Pokorna said. “I really had to dig deep there, just stay calm, positive, and come back.”

The next five games of the set were all Pokorna, who went on to win, 7-5, and help the Hawkeyes advance with a 4-3 team victory.

Such a calm and positive demeanor wasn’t an isolated occurrence for Pokorna. Her Iowa career has been defined by her exemplary character and mentality.

“She’s a really optimistic player,” Hawkeye head coach Sasha Schmid said. “She doesn’t harp on any of the points that don’t go her way. She really rebounds quickly after disappointments … And I think that really helps her, and it’s one of those traits that I really admire about her.”

Growing up in Ostrava in the Czech Republic as the daughter of two athletes, Pokorna said her optimistic character is more of an innate quality than a skill learned over time.

“I feel like it just comes naturally,” Pokorna said. “I was never super negative. Like, sometimes I get stressed, but I try not to show that … I feel like I’m a naturally positive person, so I can translate it into the tennis court more easily.”

In singles play during the 2022 regular season, Pokorna finished with a 13-6 overall record, competing between the No. 2 and No. 6 slots. In May 2022, she was voted as Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award honoree.

In a sport like tennis, where individual play can be magnified by personal errors just as much as triumphs, Schmid said Pokorna acts as an exception.

“She never hangs her head, has any negative body language, or any sort of, like, negative self-talk,” Schmid said. “Unfortunately, in our sport, there’s a lot of negativity, or the negative self-talk and body language that can take place, and she just doesn’t give any energy to that.”

Schmid said Pokorna’s behavior serves as a model for her teammates.

“I think already, like, a lot of the people on the team look to her and really admire those qualities,” Schmid said. “And when she models that, it’s great leadership for everyone else to be able to follow.”

One specific area where Pokorna can make an impact on her teammates is through doubles play. Occupying the No. 3 doubles team since Iowa’s March 4 match against Wisconsin, Pokorna and freshman Pia Kranholdt have won their last two completed doubles matches.

In their most recent match, the pair was ahead, 5-2, against their Ohio State counterparts when the Buckeyes clinched the doubles point.

“I think it helps a lot, just like keeping us positive in every situation because every point matters, and doubles is just one set,” Pokorna said. “So, it’s really tight, but just, like, fist pumping and making eye contact with Pia is really huge.”

One of Pokorna’s main goals during matches is not to let struggles and stress in competition spiral into a negative mindset. And in a match such as the one against the Spartans where pressure can become overwhelming, Pokorna lets the joy of competition take over.

“I’m just like, as I said, focusing on things that I can control, not trying to overthink anything, and staying calm in difficult moments,” Pokorna said. “Enjoying the difficult situations and matches instead of being nervous and shaky.”