Junior Andrea Pascual-Larrinaga from Basauri, Spain, made her mark at ETSU in the 2017- 2018 season for women’s tennis.
“I had a friend who encouraged me to come here, but I didn’t know anything about the area,” said Pascual-Larrinaga. “I am a very independent person, but I didn’t know anything about English. I think it’s really important to know a different language, so ETSU and the U.S in general helped me to improve that along with interactions with people.”
Pasual-Larrinaga made the big move from her home in Spain to Johnson City, Tennessee, her sophomore year after transferring from the University of Evansville.
Pasual-Larrinaga brings collegiate and national experience after playing in the Spanish Tennis Federation, where she was placed in the top 60 in the nation as a junior and top 150 in adult rankings.
“With practice, my skills are improving in tennis, but I wasn’t used to this much play against different universities,” said Pascual-Larrinaga. “In Spain, we don’t have this kind of program, so I think that has also improved my skill.”
She has won several state, regional and national events in Spain and continues to improve her record with the Bucs.
As a sophomore at ETSU, she gained a 9-10 record in singles, going 5-2 in singles in the SoCon and held a 9-9 record at the No. 3 singles spot.
In her last 10 matches, Pasual-Larrinaga gained a 7-1 record. She paired with sophomore Alejandra Morales (Santiago, Chile) as they finished duo season with a 13-7 record, going 8-2 in their last ten matches where they mostly saw action in the No. 3 doubles spot.
“They say that tennis is an individual sport, but when I came here I learned that you can also play as a group,” Pascual-Larrinaga. “If you win, it’s as a university or a group, and I like that.”
Pasual-Larrinaga is majoring in exercise science and wishes to continue playing tennis in a non-professional environment.
