Junior Kelsey Williams started playing tennis at 3 years old in her backyard in Victoria, Australia.

“My parents  realized I had a love for the game  after I would  spend hours in our backyard hitting a tennis ball around playing totem tennis [swingball],” she said.

Williams came to UCA for a visit and said she instantly fell in love with the campus and the team.

“The girls were all so friendly and the coach seemed very positive and engaged in the sport,” she said.

Williams said her favorite part of playing tennis at UCA is the team.

“Everyone is so supportive of one another,” she said. “If someone is feeling down another would pick [her]up.”

Six of the eight women on the team are from other countries.

“Being almost an entire international team, we all have times where we get homesick or just not feeing up to it,” she said. “But we all stand by each other through thick and thin and that’s what I love about it.”

Williams said another one of her favorite parts is the road trips.

“I think all those crazy bus sing-alongs that probably make coach deaf or the ways we keep ourselves entertained while on the road in hotel rooms never seem to surprise me,” she said.

Senior Sasha Ruocco said Williams is a great teammate who fights hard during her matches.

“She is very loving and has so much passion in and out of the court,” she said. “She will make a great senior next year.”

Williams said she wants to be able to hold her own this season.

“I want to be able to go out there and give it my all every match and help my team succeed more than we have before,” she said.

Williams was elected co-captain by her team, which she said was important to her.

Williams said that for her, success is a mental game.

“Anyone can go out there and hit a ball a million miles an hour,” she said. “It comes down to who has the mental strength when you are playing a third set and it’s sweltering conditions or you are down in a match and need to comeback.”

A certain tournament that stands out to Williams was her first tournament at UCA.

“Me and my doubles partner junior Allison Murphy were playing flight one,” she said. “All we wanted to do was win a couple matches and give it our all. Little did we know that we would end up taking out the first tournament. We were ecstatic.”

Williams said she plans to work as a broadcast journalist in Australia after she graduates.

“Hopefully for ESPN or Fox, but you defiantly have to start from the bottom first,” she said.

Being so far away from home, Williams said she misses her parents the most.

“My mum – yes, spelled M-U-M – is my best friend,” she said. “I don’t have brothers and sisters so she is the one I lean on for everything. Whenever I’m playing, I always look to see who’s watching and always wish that my parents could see all I’ve accomplished. I know that they would be proud.”

Williams said the team has a positive coach in Jeff Borengasser.

“[Borengasser] never yells or never makes us feel unworthy if we lose,” he said. “He is very encouraging and really pushes you to be the best you can be.”

On the season, Williams has a 4-4 overall record in singles play and 5-3 in doubles with her partner Murphy.

WIlliams is in third in No. 3 singles matches with a 2-0 record.

Williams and Murphy are fourth in No. 1 doubles matches with a 4-2 record.

The tennis team sits in fifth place, tied with Northwestern State with a 6-3 record.