Kayli Edwards has had a strong career for the Thunder women's tennis team. Here is an interview with the Wheaton senior.
Q: Who is your favorite tennis player (past or present)?
A: Lindsay Davenport
Q: What is your major?
A: International Relations and Interpersonal Communication
Q: Why did you choose to attend and play tennis at Wheaton?
A: When considering colleges, I was looking for a school that was passionate about its Christian identity and was academically challenging. I also hoped to continue playing the sport I have played almost my entire life, tennis. Wheaton had everything I wanted, and once I visited with the team I decided this was where I wanted to go. The team members were so full of life, loved the Lord, and they were also really good tennis players.
Q: What do you appreciate about playing for coach Nelson?
A: Since our coach, Jane Nelson, played tennis and basketball at Wheaton, she understands completely what it is like to be an athlete at Wheaton. She goes above and beyond all that is asked of a coach and treats us more like daughters than players. She encourages our spiritual growth through team worship and devotions and encourages us to view playing tennis as an act of worship.
Q: What do you enjoy most about Wheaton?
A: The best thing about Wheaton has been the friendships I have made here. The tennis team has been a major part of that. My teammates and I may all come from different parts of the country and have different academic interests, but we are able to share a sport that we all love.
Q: Talk a little bit about the experience of playing as a team in the National Tournament last year?
A: Last year we qualified for the National Tournament by beating Carthage 9-0 (meaning that every person on our team won both their singles and doubles matches). That was a huge confidence booster for us and enabled us to beat both Edgewood and UW-Whitewater in the first and second round of nationals.
We had lost to UW-Whitewater during our fall season, so that was great for us to beat them in the NCAA Tournament. Since we have both a fall and spring tennis season, going to the National Tournament was the culmination of the whole year’s worth of hard work. In addition, because the tournament was held the weekend after school ended, we had already taken our finals, finished the semester, and were able to fully focus on tennis and compete wholeheartedly.
