NAOTB: Kristina Paskauskas
Why did you decide to come to Texas A&M?
I’ve heard a lot about Texas A&M from people and because this is my third school, I really try to do my research and pretty much everyone’s had good things to say about it. They’re obviously an amazing team. They just won the national championship and they’ve won it before. They have a great bunch of players and I’ve just heard really positive things about the coaches too.
What is your favorite Aggie tradition?
The Aggie Ring. I don’t know if I’m going to be eligible for it which makes me a bit upset.
What is your favorite part about Aggieland?
The people, I mean everyone here is so nice. Even when you’re walking around people are like, ‘Howdy!’ so it’s just really nice, warm and inviting.
Favorite restaurant in College Station?
I really want to try Sushi Masa.
How has it been fitting in with the team so far and getting to know everyone?
The girls are just so lovely and they’re so kind. Because everyone is so new, fitting in has been really easy and with adjusting, everyone is kind of in the same boat.
After a long day of playing tennis, what is your favorite thing to do?
Since I’ve been here, just hanging out in the living room or kitchen area with Lexington [Reed] just debriefing about our day. Just being around my teammates even little things like going to the dining hall and sitting with them catching up and talking about random little things.
When did you realize that you belonged at Texas A&M?
Within the first week, I was like I love this place. I was telling Lexington and all the girls that this is my third school now and even though it’s been one week, I love it here the most.
How did you get into tennis and when did you start playing?
I started playing tennis when I was eight years old. My cousins were playing and they started telling my parents that I should try. We started playing and we weren’t that great but we wanted to get better and my parents are very competitive. Me and my younger sister started playing together and we both just loved it.
When did you realize that you could take your tennis game to the college level?
I only found out about college when I was maybe 17 or 18 and that’s when I started really considering it. Back in England, it was kind of looked down on but I think it’s because people didn’t really understand because now there’s so many pro players coming out of college. As soon as I found out about it, I was interested right away.
Who's a player that you've looked up to during your career?
Maria Sharapova. Growing up I loved her and I wanted to be like her, I read her book and even dressed like her, I think she was my biggest idol. Now I love Djokovic and I actually walked him out on court when I was 13 years old so that was a big moment for me.