UA Tennis player Nicole Lawrence ’23 finished district play without a loss in four years.

She first started playing tennis when she was little.

“My mom would bring me along to her tennis team’s practices, and while I waited, I would grab a ball and hit it against a wall,” she said. “Then, in 6^th grade, I started going to practices after school every day and playing in tournaments!”

She loves how every match, and every point for that matter, is unique.

“Each match requires a new way to figure out how to win,” she said. “With so many different shots, playing tennis never gets boring or repetitive to me.”

When asked how it feels to finish district play without a loss in four years, Nicole said that it hasn’t really sunk in yet.

“I can’t believe I’ve played my last district matches,” she said. “To say that I never lost a district match is definitely not something I would’ve expected when I first tried out my freshman year!”

To Nicole, tennis is a very important part of her life.

“I’ve devoted so much time to tennis- between practices and tournaments- that I can’t imagine not playing anymore,” she said. “It’s also introduced me to so many of my closest friends and gave me some of my favorite memories from Ursuline.”

One thing her parents tell her all the time before a match is to make sure she has fun.

“This advice has helped keep my nerves in check and is also a good reminder that being able to play tennis isn’t something I shouldn’t take for granted,” she said.

What’s next for Nicole? She’ll be attending the University of Florida next year with plans to study Computer Science. She hopes to join the club tennis team while she’s there so she can keep playing competitively.

Go Bears!