Jens Deju
Erika Ochoa is a senior on the SIU women's tennis team. She is the lone senior of the injury-depleted Saluki squad and will be playing her final match of her career this weekend at Indiana State. She recently took some time off to speak with Jens Deju of the Daily Egyptian.
Daily Egyptian: How would you describe yourself as a player?
Erika Ochoa: I think I'm really a strong player. I think what's helped me most is my mental ability. I can focus really well in matches so that's what helps me a lot, but type of player, I like to hit the ball hard.
DE: Why did you choose SIU?
EO: First of all, [head coach] Judy [Auld] seemed really nice over the phone and I had other offers from different coaches, but Judy seemed the most interested in me so I considered that really important and then because of the aviation program. It's one of the best in the nation so I wanted to come and fly, so that's the two main reasons.
DE: How would you sum up your time here?
EO: Oh, it has been the four best years of my life. I've had so much fun and I really enjoyed playing for SIU. The people in Southern Illinois have been really, really nice to me and very supportive. All of my teachers, all of my classmates, all my friends, everybody has been so nice and I found really good friends and people here.
DE: How hard has this season been for you?
EO: It has been tough, but I think this helped me a lot to build character and to be a stronger player as well as a stronger person because you gotta be up all the time. You can never give up and because of this, I think we really got strong as a team and personally I found myself in a tough situation, but I overcame it really well.
DE: Does it hurt a little more since this is your senior season?
EO: Not really. I think I'm going to remember this year more than I remember my past years, but it actually helped that I was a senior and I think I had more experience so I knew how to handle it better than maybe if I was a freshman or sophomore. I think I'd be a little bit more disappointed if it would've happened earlier, but maturity helped me handle it well.
DE: With how tough a year it's been, how much have the underclassmen leaned on you since you are senior?
EO: I guess they lean over me, but I lean over them too. We had to be a team and it's just, I got to play with Kari [Stark] doubles and I had to cheer her up all the time and it's just, I think it's a team effort. It's not that they lean on me or I lean on them. It's just overall, like everybody leans on everybody, I guess.
DE: Your teammates left the decision on whether to keep playing or not to you. What was going through your mind that they had that much respect that they were willing to do whatever you wanted to do?
EO: I really want to thank them for giving the decision to me. It's a lot of pressure, but they said, 'hey no pressure, you can do whatever you want,' but I just really thought they respect me and I appreciate that a lot. It's just, I want to play one more match with them, be on the court with them again and have fun like we have been having fun all this year. I appreciate their respect and I don't want them to get frustrated for next year, so that's why I decided not to play the whole weekend, but just one more match to have fun together.
DE: What do you think will be going through your mind when you take the court for the last time against Indiana State?
EO: It's going to be a little bit of pressure like 'oh it's my last match.' I don't know if I'm going to win or I don't know if I'm going to lose. I'm going to play like any other match, but obviously I'm going to have some mixed emotions like sad to be over, but at the same time, glad that I had a really good career at SIU. But I think I'm just going to set my mind to play like any other match so I have a good outcome.
DE: Favorite actor?
EO: I would say Bruce Willis.
DE: Favorite movie?
EO: I have several. I love Il Postino, it's an Italian movie. I love Life is Beautiful and the Usual Suspects.
DE: Favorite TV show?
EO: I don't really have one.
DE: Favorite musician?
EO: I like Mozart and I like Chuck Mangione a lot and overall I like everything besides country.
DE: Favorite local restaurant?
EO: El Bajio.
Reporter Jens Deju can be reached at jdeju@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
