| Meichner hopes to ace SBC
By Lee Pyland, staff writer After leaving Melbourne, Australia, a city of 1.5 million people, Kendra Meichsner arrived in Jonesboro not knowing what to expect. Fortunately for the Lady Indian tennis team, the 6-0 Meichsher liked what she saw because she is in her junior season as Arkansas State University's top-seeded player. "Jonesboro is a nice little community where everyone seems to know one another," Meichsner said in a thick Australian accent. "I really like that part about it" Meichsner was nationally ranked last spring, climbing as high as No. 42 in singles matches and No. 35 in doubles. She led the Lady Tribe with a 7-4 singles record. In doubles, she teamed with roommate and fellow Australian Melanie Tate to claim a 4-0 mark. Last year ASU finished second to Sun Belt Conference champion South Alabama. "I'm hoping we win the conference," Meichsner said. "Also, we'd like to go to the regionals." At the end of 1996, ASU was ranked 10th in the region, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Head coach Marcia Williams said, "If we have one of the best eight teams in the region, we get to compete in the NCAA Regionals." "We would also like to be ranked in the top 50 again. (At the end of 1995, the Lady Tribe was ranked 50th in the county," Williams said. Williams looks for leadership from Meichsner, calling her, "one of the best players we've ever had at ASU. In singles, Kendra is the only nationally ranked player ASU has ever produced." Meichsner, 21, said she has been playing tennis for 11 years. However, she said her high school, Biooanook College, in Melbourne, did not field a tennis team. "High school team sports in Australia is not as big as it is here. We do have most sports, but they are offered as physical education classes," she said. "(In high school), I might play basketball for one week," she said. Meichsner made one exception. She said she was a member of her high school swim team. Meichsner is the daughter of Klaus and Barbara Meichsner of Melbourne, where her father works as an engineer. She has a 28-year-old sister, Karen. Meichsner said she knew her friend and teammate, senior Melanie Tate, while the two were growing up in Australia. "I've known Melanie for about 10 years," she said. "We played in a tournament (in Melbourne) together when we were about 12-years-old. It was a doubles tournament. We stayed in contact, but we didn't see each other all the time. Meichsner, who loves to travel, said: "Melanie and I are planning a trip to New York. We would also like to see the Grand Canyon." One of the disadvantages of living in Jonesboro is its lack of public transportation, Meichsner said. "Everything here seems so out of the way," she said. "Back home everything is located in the surrounding area." "If you want to go somewhere, you've got public transportation to get you there. Here, if you can't afford a car, you're stuck," Meichsner said. An exercise science major, Meichsner said she may opt for a brief stay in the U.S. after she earns her degree. "I'm thinking about staying here awhile," she said. "I may try to work for a year or seek my master's degree. It all depends on money. "I'm happy to be living here and playing tennis because I get to travel around and see more of America," she said |