Marshall’s Gionna Parsa signs National Letter of Intent to play tennis at Fresno Pacific University
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MARSHALL -- The freezing temperatures might be here to stay, but that didn't stop Gionna Parsa from thinking about the next few springs.
The Marshall senior signed her National Letter of Intent on Friday to play tennis at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, Calif. Parsa said it's a great feeling to be able to commit and have this day finally come.
"It's amazing," Parsa said. "I'm so excited to be able to have the opportunity to play tennis all year round in a beautiful place with an amazing coach and team."
Parsa said although it's far away from home, what drew her to Fresno Pacific was the connection she had with the coach and the program and felt like it was the best environment for her. She added that she plans to major in pre-health with a plan to go to medical school and become an orthopedic surgeon.
"It is far, but I had a really good feeling about it and the coach just reached out and touched my heart with the way he approached the team and the way that the girls are," Parsa said. "I got to interact with them and it just seemed like a really good environment that I would like to be a part of."
The past few years, Parsa has been a key contributor to Marshall's success on the court throughout her time at MHS. She attributed that success to the impact her coaches and teammates have had on her.
Parsa said her coaches have pushed her every day to become the best person and player she can be.
"They've really pushed me to be not only the best player I can be, but the best teammate, the best opponent and the best captain for the team," Parsa said. They've seen me go all the way from being a 10th grader playing singles and not really knowing what I was doing to getting control of the game and becoming the player I am today."
She added that her teammates have always been there to support her, especially in moments during matches when she needed it the most.
"They've always been smiling and cheering for me, even in hard moments when I was down and I really needed them to push me," Parsa said. "One moment I remember in particular is when I was playing St. James and Mackenna Eickoff screamed, 'Come on, Gionna, you got it," and I was so nervous and I really needed the point and her screaming that just made me push through and I ended up winning the set, so that was a special moment for me."
Going into next year, Parsa said she's looking forward to creating new opportunities and meeting new people.
"New opportunities, new friends and just growing to be the best person I can be," Parsa said.