COLUMBIA, Mo. - The 2014-15 Mizzou tennis season concluded in mid-April after the Tigers wrapped up play at the 2015 SEC Women's Tennis Tournament. Mizzou finished the spring campaign with nine total wins, including a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 36 Arkansas in the first round of SEC Tournament action.
Head Coach Sasha Schmid and her Tigers now turn their focus to the 2015-16 season, and will begin offseason preparation this summer in both Columbia, Mo. and each student-athletes' respective hometowns.
Throughout the upcoming months, Mizzou Athletics will meet with each of the Mizzou tennis student-athletes and coaches to discuss their personal offseason growth. In our second installment we catch up with senior Alex Clark.
The 2014-15 campaign marked Clark's final go-around in Mizzou black and gold. Four years ago before the 2011-12 season, the London, England native arrived to Columbia, Mo. for her first year of collegiate tennis.
Clark's beginning at Mizzou was unlike her other teammates, as she transitioned from London to the United States as a 16-year-old. During her junior tennis career in England, Clark was ranked as a top-20 player in the country and ultimately was tabbed as a top-450 player in the world by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
In her first year with Mizzou, Clark faced many challenges on-and-off the court as she sought to fit in both as a tennis player and a college student.
"I was very underexposed growing up, and coming to college at a young age was a big shock for me," Clark recalled. "I had to figure things out quickly. Luckily, my coaches and teammates were so nice and took care of me."
The immediate transition proved to be a success, as Clark posted an overall record of 22-11 during her 2011-12 freshman season. Further first-year highlights included an event championship at the Wake Forest Invitational, and four conference singles wins in Big 12 play.
The next two seasons with Mizzou tennis included the team's transition to the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the grand opening of new facilities with the Mizzou Tennis Complex. Before she knew it, the 2014-15 season had arrived and Clark was facing her final push with the Tiger black and gold.