ALL MEMBERSHIPS ARE ON A WAITLIST. PLEASE CLICK “JOIN” FOR WAITLIST INFORMATION. Meet Our Staff Michael Polasek General Manager With over 15 years of club management experience and an MBA from the University of New Mexico, Michael oversees all operations at Hollow Rock Racquet & Swim Club. Originally from South Africa, Michael is a former professional tennis player and enjoys spending time with his family and friends. EMAIL MICHAEL Christopher Jaques Assistant GM Christopher is the Assistant Manager of Hollow Rock. He is a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is an avid Tar Heel fan (someone has to rep the Heels at Hollow Rock). Christopher grew up in Chapel Hill and now calls the Bull City his home with his fiancé, Sarah Catherine, and their pup, Chester Jones. In his spare time, he enjoys hikes with the dog, working out and hanging out with friends. EMAIL CHRIS Matt Nicholson Tennis Director Matt is the Tennis Director of Hollow Rock. Originally from Zimbabwe he was recruited to play collage tennis at Catawba College. Upon graduation Matt made his way to Durham where he has begun setting his roots. Even with long hours teaching tennis he maintains a steady level of play and is often seen enjoying an afternoon of recreational tennis or can be found in Duke Forest with his two dogs, Kassie and Ms. Lady. EMAIL MATT Alex Millholland Member Relations Coordinator Alex joined Hollow Rock in 2019 as a racquet stringer and front desk staff with 6 years experience stringing racquets and providing customer service at a local tennis shop. Alex enjoys discussing tennis racquets and different string possibilities with members. She also has 10 years experience with USTA leagues and tournaments. Off the court, she is a photographer who takes a variety of photos from portraits (including Hollow Rock’s)to real estate. She currently lives in Duke Forest with her two dogs, Max and Riley. EMAIL ALEX Mary Tedrow Front Desk Manager Mary Tedrow is the Front Desk Manager of Hollow Rock. She loves working with both club members and staff. She enjoys developing relationships, connecting with people, and helping others. Before she came to Hollow Rock, she was a social worker and jewelry store owner. In her spare time she loves walking her dogs, and visiting her daughter and grandchildren. EMAIL MARY Bryan Baylor Facilities Manager Bryan is beginning his second year at Hollow Rock. He entered Facilities Management after a decade working with private and commercial clients on their building design and problem solving projects and has found Hollow Rock to offer that perfect mix. He enjoys home restoration and mountain biking. EMAIL BRYAN Nino Vinkovic Tennis Professional Nino Vinkovic has been a Tennis Professional at Hollow Rock since 2013. Prior to that he taught for twenty-five years in the Boston area. He mostly works with adults and teams on their singles and doubles strategy. In is spare time Nino enjoys any political or sports conversation and you can even find him on the local NPR radio station sharing his point of view. EMAIL NINO Angela Mateas Fitness Professional Angela Mateas is currently the head of the junior fitness program at Hollow Rock. Angela has two children, Catalin and Maria and two pets, Avocado and Leo. Originally from Romania, Angela has a Masters degree in Education and Bachelor in Sport Science from the University of Oradea, Romania, ACE Group fitness Certified and CPR certified. Angela has over 25 years teaching experience and worked with some of the top junior tennis players in the world. Angela was the personal fitness trainer of Christina McHale (Top-40 WTA), and has worked with D1 tennis players such as Catalin Mateas (Duke), Kacie Harvey(UNC), and currently working with Maria Mateas (Top-500 WTA). In her free time Angela enjoys gardening and going for a hike. EMAIL ANGELA Larry Karageanes Tennis Professional Larry has been in the tennis industry for over 30 years. A member of both the PTR and USPTA he conducts seminars and specialty courses for both organizations. Larry’s unique drills, programs, and manuals have been used throughout the tennis world. He is also the director of Club & Resort Tennis Services; the company provides valuable resources for tennis teaching professionals, coaches and tennis players. His most recent innovation is with the development of the BATT (Big Absorbent Tennis Towel). The new way to dry hard courts (www.battowel.com)! EMAIL LARRY John McLean IV Tennis Professional John McLean IV is one of our newest tennis professionals here at Hollow Rock. John grew up in Durham and played collegiate tennis at Southern University for 2 years, before playing professional tennis on the ITF/ATP Challenger Tour for 4 years. John served as a coach/hitting partner to several top pros for 3 years. John later finished his degree in business management at Colorado Tech University while traveling. John is currently the Assistant Men's Tennis Coach at the North Carolina Central University. EMAIL JOHN Kate Medynskaya Tennis Professional Kate, a certified PTR Tennis Professional, has been teaching at Hollow Rock since February 2013. While teaching, she attained a degree in Sociology and Chemistry, and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, both from UNC-Chapel Hill. Kate has had multiple junior teams go to the Junior Team Tennis State Championship, with one team winning first place in the 8 and under division. Currently, Kate works full time at the Duke Private Diagnostic Clinic, PLLC, but is available for lessons on the weekend. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends and zoo of 5 pets. EMAIL KATE Calin Mateas Tennis Professional Calin Mateas, a native of Romania, is a Tennis Professional with over 25 years of experience in developing junior players. A graduate of Physical Education and Sports Academy in Bucharest, Romania, he worked as a university lecturer and head of the tennis department at University of Oradea, Romania, before moving with his wife Angela, and 2 kids, Catalin and Maria, in 2004 to the US. Calin is a PTR Professional, High Performance and Level 1 Sports Science certified, and a WTA tennis coach. He is passionate and motivated to help players improve their game, and make a difference in their lives. Calin has worked with players at the highest levels, including numerous Division 1 college players and WTA professionals. He resides in Durham with his family. EMAIL CALIN Catalin Mateas Tennis Professional Born in Romania, Catalin and his family moved to the U.S. when he was 8 years old. He began playing tennis at a very young age, coached by his father, Calin Mateas. Catalin grew up in Braintree, MA, and played numerous junior international tournaments all around the world, including Junior Wimbledon and US Open. He traveled with and often coached his younger sister, Maria Mateas, who is currently on the WTA tour and had a career high ranking of 284. He still enjoys hitting with her and helping her improve. Catalin played Division 1 tennis for Duke University, playing as high as Number 1 in both singles and doubles. He graduated in the spring of 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Evolutionary Anthropology and is currently taking two gap years before beginning Medical School. He lives in Durham with his family. EMAIL CATALIN Eddie Delphin Tennis Professional Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Edouard started playing tennis at the age of 9, coached by his father. He competed in International Junior tournaments early on, later competing in the Haitian Davis Cup team and professional circuit for many years. He moved to Miami, FL at the age of 15 and has been teaching tennis for more than 18 years focusing on junior development. In his spare time he enjoys hiking and camping with his family and 2 dogs, Mia and Scruffy. EMAIL EDDIE Hana Meerdink Tennis Professional Hana Meerdink is a tennis professional at Hollow Rock. She was born in the Philippines and moved to Illinois in 2002. Hana played collegiate tennis at Concordia University Chicago where she graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. She coached high school tennis and club tennis in Illinois before moving to North Carolina in 2016. Prior to Hollow Rock, Hana coached in Raleigh for three years experiencing success at State Championships and Southern Championships with Junior Team Tennis. Her 12U team represented North Carolina in 2019 and was a finalists in the 12U division at the USTA Southern Junior Team Tennis Sectional Championships. In her spare time, she enjoys watching sports (mainly rooting for the Green Bay Packers), running, and going on walks with her husband (Tyler), furbaby (Sochi), and her newborn (Isabella). EMAIL HANA Juan Mendes Facilities Professional Juan has been with Hollow Rock since 2004 working on all aspects of the Club’s facilities. Juan’s work ethic is one of his foremost strengths that he brings to Hollow Rock. On off days Juan enjoys spending time with his family, including his son Alex, and listening to the occasional podcast. Rogelio Galleana Head Facilities Professional Rogelio made his way to the United States in 1990 from his native country, Mexico. He has been with Hollow Rock since 2000, leading our facilities efforts and making sure the Club remains among the best in the area. In his spare time Rogelio enjoys running the trails of Occoneechee Mountain with his dogs. Sergio Gaxiola Facilities Professional Sergio is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. At UNC-W, Sergio studied classical guitar and music technology. Sergio has been with Hollow Rock since 2019. For fun, Sergio has competed in Tough Man competitions and has recently taking up kickboxing classes. Patrick Agori Tennis Professional EMAIL PATRICK Alba Ventura Housekeeping BOOK COURTJOIN (919) 489-1550 • 5100 Erwin Rd. Durham, NC 27707 • info@hollowrock.com