Tennis Freshman Kate Bolton Making Friends in US

California State University, Stanislaus, women’s tennis has a new face – and a new voice – in 19-year-old Wellington-born freshman Kate Bolton, local newspaper, The Modesto Bee reports.

Bolton, who attended Queen Margaret College, has loved the game since she picked up the racket at age 12.

“Even if I faced hard losses, I continued to play because I love tennis so much,” Bolton said.

Many tennis players in New Zealand try to come and play in the United States, so she found a recruiter who could send out her information to American universities.

This was how Stan State head coach Verek Visaraga found Bolton.

Even though she is far from home, she is excited to be a part of the Warrior family. Bolton respects Visaraga’s coaching style and personality.

“Coach V is what drew me to come here,” Bolton said. “We are like the same person with our personalities.”

“Kate is very gracious and she is always thinking of others,” Visaraga said. “She is very coachable and has a positive growth mindset. If she doesn’t do as well as she hopes, then she wants to come back to practice to work on it and improve.”

Original article by Modesto Bee staff, The Modesto Bee, February 5, 2020.