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sports
Carvalho sees
past tennis
By Rebecca Christiansen
On-line Forty-Niner
Long Beach State's
No. 1 tennis player, Mandy Carvalho, established her position
as senior leader on the women's tennis team by receiving All-Big
West Conference first team honors in both singles and doubles
last year during her first season playing for The Beach.
"It was surprising,"
Carvalho said. "It felt like not that good of a season,
so it was good to be recognized."
Carvalho, who started
playing tennis as a six-year-old back home in El Paso, Texas,
transferred to LBSU last year as a junior from the University
of South Carolina where she and her fellow Gamecocks reached
the first round of the NCAA playoffs in 1999.
"I was tired
of South Carolina," Carvalho said. "This was an
opportunity that arose for me to go to Long Beach. I'm very
satisfied with the school and the program here."
After moving across
country, Carvalho, 21, had a familiar person to turn to when
she arrived in the Southland. She already knew the 49ers'
assistant coach, Hally Cohen.
"We grew up
together," Carvalho said. "She's a few years older
than I am, and we used to play together."
Although she is
fairly new to The Beach, Carvalho is recognized by Head Coach
Jenny Hilt as an important role model for the other players
on the team.
"When she
came in last year, she brought a new element that the team
never had," Hilt said. "An intensity, just an overwhelming
desire to win, and I think it has rubbed off on everybody.
I think it is very important, and she has a very strong personality,
a strong game, and I think as the senior leader on the team,
that's important for the other girls to see."
One of the co-players
being influenced by Carvalho is her doubles partner and co-honoree
for the All-BWC, Sophie Han.
"Mandy makes
me more motivated," Han said. "She's such a strong
player."
Even with such
an impressive recipe for success on the tennis court, however,
Carvalho has other plans for the future.
"Theatre really
interests me, I really enjoy it." Carvalho said. "I
like acting a lot."
Consequently, after
graduating from LBSU next spring, Carvalho will not keep her
focus on tennis, but will instead emphasize on acting and
attending graduate school to obtain a master's degree in fine
art.
"I'll continue
to play [tennis], but just for fun." Carvalho said. "I
just don't want to try to go pro."
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