From missing last year with an injury to winning out of the gate, Maria Clara Fonte, sophomore computer science major, is ready for her first official season with the Goshen College tennis team.

Last year, Fonte suffered an ACL tear in her right knee before the season could begin. “I had never been injured before,” she said. “It was a lot of highs and lows.” She said that she had lots of people around her supporting her during the time she was injured.

Luckily, the injury does not seem to be affecting how she performs this year. “She played like nothing happened,” said Jon Bemisderfer, head coach of men’s and women’s tennis.

On Sept. 19, Fonte and Arianngel Mosquera, sophomore tennis player, placed first overall in the women’s doubles matches against Olivet Nazareth University, winning the championship match with a bagel.

She made it to the championship match during the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Regional Tournament on Sept. 27, alongside her teammate, Blanka Bodo. “It felt good to play again,” Fonte said.

Fonte said her love of tennis was inspired by her sister.

“When I was seven or eight years old, my sister was already playing tennis, so I also tried, and I liked it,” she said.

Since then, she had always wanted to play in America. Having a college that noticed her skills felt important to her.

“I really wanted to have the experience to go to the U.S. and play tennis at the same time I study,” she said.

She sent out emails to several colleges, and was overjoyed when she got at response from GC. “I think this is a good college for me to play tennis at and study,” Fonte said.

She hopes exercising for more than just tennis will help her remain off the sidelines. “I try to go to the gym and work on my mobility,” Fonte said.

Tennis skills and mobility aren’t the only things she trains for. Another thing she has tried out to help her skills is practicing for other sports.

“She’s pretty good at every sport she tries, but I think soccer is something she’s best at,” Bemisderfer said. “She could probably make the team if she wanted to.”

And it has paid off. Fonte was one of Bemisderfer’s top prospects for the team last year. “I watched her film from high school, and I was impressed. We need more people like that on the team,” he said.

Bemisderfer believed Fonte excelled at a skill not many tennis players have: ball control.

“She has a really good understanding of how to make the ball go into parts of the court in different ways,” he said. “Tennis is power, but it’s also touch and control and understanding how to play, and she understands how to play.”

This year, she is back on the court. The Portuguese high school tennis champion has healed, and ready to take on whatever comes her way.

Bemisderfer likes the way things are shaping up. “I think it’s gonna be a very competitive conference season,” he said. With a brand new court and some new talent just in time for the official start of the season this spring, he’s confident the GC tennis team will be better than ever.

“She’s a great human, and the team will benefit a lot from having her,” Bemisderfer said.