Both of these girls were foreign-exchange students, so they were in America for their senior year of high school. It's hard to find a college tennis team in America who spends money traveling overseas for athletes. |
I generally don't respond to the e-mails I get from foreign players. They're looking for a full-ride and we just don't have that to often. I think that picking foreign players is a lazy way of recruiting. |
I'm sure that some of these players eventually take away scholarships from American-born players. But it can also help a program like ours because some of the American players fall to us. |
If we have a talent edge, it's very slight. But what we do have is a mental edge. Because of our winning streak, we have players who have a mentality that they will win. Being at home helps all that much more. |
In our conference, if we win doubles, we have a big advantage. Most teams, because of lack of scholarships, have a drop off in the bottom of their singles, we don't have that. |
Kate wanted a higher level of competition, which I was totally understandable. Also, American University is in D.C. and has a much higher ratio of international students. |
The international players definitely have a different style and a lot of that depends on where they are coming from. Clay players are more patient and play away from the net while the grass and hard court players are more similar to Americans in that they are aggressive. |
We knew that she had the mental capability to compete, but she is a very raw talent. We thought that she'd be able to catch up to the recruited players by the end of the year. At this point, she has caught up, and by next season, she could pass them. |