The tennis team at Northwestern State University is filled with very talented players from many different places. This team competes every year against many other schools, striving to win a championship, and there are lots of high hopes for the team this year, as they have been training hard for this season.

Coach Marcos Morelli has been coaching tennis for 12 years, four of them at NSU. Morelli’s father was a tennis coach, which influenced Morelli’s decision to become a coach himself. “This is a very good team that we have here. I’m very excited to see all of their capabilities and compete for a championship,” Morelli said.

Tjasa Klevisar, a senior health and exercise science major, has been playing tennis for 17 years. She started playing tennis because of her parents and grandparents and is excited to see how the team performs this year in hopes of winning a championship. “We are all very close. It’s like a family when I’m with the team. People also recognize us as individuals and not just as a team. It helps build a name for ourselves,” Klevisar said.

Ayu Ishibashi is a senior health and exercise science major who has been playing tennis for 18 years, partly because her sister played before her. “This team has felt like a family ever since I joined. The connections that have been built are truly incredible,” Ishibashi said.

NSU’s tennis team is prepared to fight hard for victory this season while remaining close and growing into an even closer family, channeling their common love for tennis into greatness.