The athlete of the week is Renee Villarreal. Born Andrea Renee Villarreal, the sophomore tennis team member has been successful in her time here at Southeastern. Villarreal was able to battle her way to an undefeated regular season as a freshman, finishing 22-1 and also tying a school record in the process. Following her freshman season, Villarreal was honored to the All-Southland Conference Singles first team and the 2013 All-Louisiana first team. Villarreal has been strong this season as well. She currently leads the team with a 11-2 single record.
The Lions Roar: What do you enjoy most about playing tennis at southeastern?
Renee Villarreal: What I enjoy the most is to study while having tennis as my job; because it is a job. I love being part of a team and to know that where I am now is the result of my hard work. I like my coach a lot. I respect him and he has taught me really good things, which I could only have learned here at Southeastern.
TLR: Why did you choose Southeastern?
RV: I was informed that the team wasn't performing that good before coming here. Honestly, I thought I wanted to come here to take the team up. I tried my best to do it last year, getting positive results by winning the regular season. I also came here because when I was being recruited, I liked the ideas and opinions overall from Coach Hayes.
TLR: Who is your role model in the sport of tennis?
RV: My favorite tennis player is Roger Federer, but I would say that my role model is Andy Murray. I find that my game is more like his, since I think he is not that of an aggressive player, but he works the point really good until he has the chance to win it.
TLR: Is it difficult balancing time between school and tennis?
RV: It is. It is not that much about time, but about missing classes and having to study on your own. For me that's the hardest part. Whenever I miss a class, I try to see if there is another section I can go to, because many teachers make their exams based on what it is said during class. I think that during season it is the toughest it can get. We travel a lot and come back Sundays night and then we have to get ready for Monday's class. Like I said before, playing college tennis is a job but we build time management skills that will help us in our future world.
TLR: What's your favorite memory from your time playing here at Southeastern?
RV: My favorite memory is when we beat Nicholls on our last match to be the lone conference champions. My favorite match, though, was against Virginia Tech. We had a really great crowd, it was a night game and I was just playing my best tennis.
TLR: What advice do you have for all the younger tennis players?
RV: I remember my first college match. I was really nervous. My advice to them is to be confident, to trust themselves and not to think that their responsibility is to win. Their responsibility is to give their best at all times.