By Owen Gotimer
LoCoSports Editor-in-Chief
[twitter-follow screen_name=’LoCoSports’]
Leesburg (February 10, 2016) — Loudoun County High School senior Alexa Kling has made a commitment to continue her tennis career at Taylor University starting in the 2016-2017 school year.
“I chose Taylor because when I went to visit, it just felt right,” the 5-foot-3 Kling said. “I knew that it was where I was supposed to go, and I absolutely loved the tennis team.”
Kling will get the opportunity to play tennis collegiately after making a decision last summer that she wanted to take her tennis game to the next level.
“I decided last summer that I wanted to play in college, and so over the summer, I worked really hard in order to achieve that goal,” Kling said. “It is so nice that all of my hard work has paid off. It is also nice to know where I am going to college because it takes off stress of school.”
While Kling does not have to worry about where she will be going to school in the fall, she does have to get through her senior year at Loudoun County and her senior season with the Lady Raiders.
In 2015, Kling helped the Raiders to the Conference 21 team championship where Loudoun County fell to Dominion. Kling also advanced individually to the Conference 21 singles championship where she fell to Dominion senior Dominique Huynh. But the Leesburg-native got her revenge just a week later when she defeated Huynh in the VHSL 4A North region singles championship.
“This will be my last chance to win the state title, so what I want for myself is to win states in singles and also doubles with my partner, Abbey Marble,” said Kling who was named first team All-LoCo in 2015. “I expect to do really well and continue to play with the thought of getting better for the Trojan team.”
In the fall, Kling will join third-year head coach Jini Morgan and the NAIA Trojans in Indiana. With an underclass-heavy roster, Taylor is currently 9-5 overall and 4-4 in the Crossroads League in their 2015-2016 campaign. On February 27, the Trojans will kick off their spring schedule against No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan University.
“I think I will be able to get a good spot in the top six that will help the Trojans win important matches,” Kling said. “I think that I will be able to contribute a lot of hard work and encouragement to the rest of the team, as well.”
Encouragement is not a new part of Kling’s routine. After her dad encouraged her to try a lot of sports growing up, Kling realized tennis was the one for her.
“I have always just loved playing and find enjoyment in competing and getting better,” Kling said. “It is also a stress reliever for me, and every time I am on the court, I forget about everything except playing tennis.”
