Gloria Ball, freshman business major, is an active athlete who enjoys playing intramural tennis during her free time. She has always enjoyed sports and played tennis throughout her eighth grade and high school years.
Ball was seen playing in a tennis intramural match Sept. 28, 2023. She was partnered with her friend, Adi Stofer, freshman allied health major. The double partners met in their junior year tennis team.
“We weren’t really friends until we started being teammates for tennis because we both worked really well together and we kind of made a friendship connection through sports,” Stofer said.
Stofer spent a lot of time with Ball and saw her skills improve as well. Stofer knows that Ball practices a lot and especially for tennis. She plays a variety of sports such as volleyball and soccer.
“I think she definitely could pursue it professionally,” Stofer said. “She’s very gifted at sports and tennis. I don’t know if that’s something she’s interested in or not. I mean, I know she’s very competitive.”
Ball got this far in her tennis skills thanks to April Holloway, a former teammate from ninth grade. Holloway was around two years older than her when they met in high school.
“When she [Holloway] got the ball, she just smashed it. She was so naturally good at tennis, and I was like, I want to be like that,” Ball said.
As she grew up, Ball and her dad watched a lot of sports together that were relevant to her current sports team. She gained more skills because of her dad pointing out techniques the athletes were using.
“Just noticing the little things and applying that to my skill just made it more motivational for me. Like I’m doing these right things,” Ball said.
Most importantly, Ball plays intramurals for fun and being able to spend time with friends.
“Even if we lose or we win, either way everyone shows a really good attitude,” Ball said.
While the intramural sports games are still going on, check out Ball next time you are wanting to watch a game.
Edited by Sydney Peterson and Jayme Thompson
