MADISON, Wis. - The Jan. 27 edition of 'Varsity' Magazine is now available, featuring Kendall Kirsch in the "Badgering" section. The full magazine can be viewed HERE.  

A freshman from Long Grove, Illinois, Kendall Kirsch has provided the Badgers with a spark in her first season at Wisconsin. She finished the fall with a sparkling 10-1 singles record and a mark of 10-2 on the doubles court. A four-star recruit who went 82-5 during her prep career at Stevenson High School, Kirsch won the 2013 Illinois state doubles championship after placing third in the state in 2011.

When did you start playing tennis and how did you get into it?
"I started playing tennis when I was 6 years old. My mom started playing a few years after she had my brother, sister and I, and she signed me up for lessons and put me on the court with my sister and brother – I kind of just fell in love with it from there."

What made you choose Wisconsin?
"I went to a camp here the summer of my junior year and once I got on campus I was like 'Wow this is beautiful,' and I kind of just fell in love with it right then and there. I also stayed in one of the dorms and got a feel for what it would be like to go to school here. After the summer camp, Tina (Samara) called me and offered me a scholarship, which was very unexpected. I didn't expect to come here and get the opportunity to play, but when I was here, I knew it was the right place I wanted to be, so I was going to work as hard as I needed to get here."

Now that you're here, what's your favorite part?
"Being on the team. I played soccer until I was a sophomore, so I love being on a team and I love having people there so support me and so I think being on a team is my favorite part. I'm lucky enough to have a team where all of us are really close."

What's the transition to college been like?
"Academically, I came from a fairly big high school of about 4,000 kids so I was kind of ready to come to a big school. I was very excited but it was still a little overwhelming first coming here just because I wasn't sure what a college class was going to be like, but I got the feel of it pretty quickly. For tennis, I played a lot when I was a junior, but if I was sick or not feeling well one day I could just blow it off and just reschedule it. Here you just have to push through, so that's been kind of a big transition."

What was the key to your successful fall debut?
"Over the summer I told myself that I was going to work as hard as I could to make my fall season and my entire freshman year successful, and I knew if I worked hard I would get there. So over the summer, I worked with my trainer a few times a week and hit every single day and I just went into the fall season with an open mind and tried not to put much pressure on myself, because I knew if I did that, then I couldn't really focus on things like the point at hand. Overall, I just told myself to play with confidence, play loos and not fixate on the small things because I realized when I do that I'm much more successful."

How do you feel about having some of the country's best players coming to Madison for the ITA Indoor?
"It's definitely going to be a challenge, but our team has worked very hard throughout the season and I think we're up for the challenge. I know it's going to be tough, but I think we're going to do pretty well. I know I'm excited and the team is very excited and ready to put up a good fight against very good teams. It's nice to be hosting this because we haven't in quite a while. It's a great opportunity and I think we're ready for it."

Can you describe yourself as a tennis player?
"Everyone calls me the goalie on the tennis court because I run down balls. I also like to be aggressive – not play defensively, because playing aggressive is way more fun than backing off the ball and lobbing it. But I just chase after the balls and try to get everything back, and when I have the opportunity to get on the offense, I attack."