Lamija Avdic has achieved great feats at the start of her second year on Seattle University’s women’s tennis team. In April, Avdic was named Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Year. Now only a few short months later, Avdic has become the first Redhawk to ever reach the round of 16 at the ITA Northwest Regionals.

The Northwest Regionals were hosted in Berkeley, Calif. and included competitors from Division I universities in the Northwest Region. Avdic was one of 16 players to make it to the quarter-finals before being eliminated.  

Influenced by her grandfather, Avdic started playing tennis when she was six years old. She is among five other cousins who play tennis and is the fourth Division I athlete in her family. Her younger sister will become the fifth, joining the Seattle U women’s tennis team next year for her first year of college alongside Avdic. 

The following is a condensed excerpt from an interview with Lamija Avdic. Questions from the reporter are paraphrased for brevity.

EJ: What made you choose Seattle U?

LA: I really liked Kristina [Hollander], the coach, and what her values were and it’s close to home. I’m originally from Kirkland, which is close to Seattle. I knew that I wanted to be close to home, and I love Seattle too. So I’m super glad how everything worked out. 

EJ: What was it like achieving WAC’s Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Year last April? 

LA: It was honestly really hard. It was tough, in the beginning, transitioning from being in such an individual sport and then going into a team now in college. But I was like I’m doing it not just for myself but for my team and my family. That’s why I really like being home because my family can come watch me anytime. So, it was very relieving when I was like okay I know what I’ve accomplished and that was my goal at the beginning of the season. I just had it in my mind, and I just went for it. 

EJ: How does it feel to be the first Redhawk to make the round of 16 at the ITA Northwest Regionals? 

LA: It was amazing. The whole weekend was just unbelievable for the whole team. It was my first time traveling with our new team this year and I just wanted to represent the school in the best way possible and really put our name out there. 

EJ: What are some of your favorite ways to bond with your teammates? 

LA: We really like going on nature walks and stuff like that. We do family dinners and make charcuterie boards or homemade pizza. Since I’m the only local one on the team, my family hosts the annual lunch or dinner so we invite the whole team to our house and we just hang out. Most of my teammates are Slavic so the girls who are not Slavic are like honorary Slavic girls. We always love to get them into the culture and try their cultures too. It’s really interesting to see different types of cultures and what their perspective is on life, and I love that. 

EJ: What skills and techniques are you looking to improve moving forward into future tournaments? 

LA: I think I am just very passionate when I play, and it can be a really good thing or really bad. Well, no, not bad but just in the sense that it can get to me sometimes. I would like to just be more composed. Just like relax, chill for a second. 

EJ: What is your favorite thing about being a student-athlete? 

LA: Just meeting different sports and different people from different cultures and hanging out, experiencing the sport. I have two different worlds now that have been created into one and it’s so fun. I have friends who are not athletes, and I have friends who are. We all still hang out, it’s just sometimes I escape from one world into the other, and it’s just really nice not to think about all this stuff going on. 

EJ: Is there anything you would want to say or any advice you want to give younger athletes hoping to play in college? 

LA: I would say if you think it’s a lot, it is, but it’s worth it. It’s an experience that shapes you for the better. You learn so much from it. It’s such a cool opportunity just to even be at college in the first place. Just enjoy every single bit of it because once you’re older, you’re gonna miss it. It is just an experience everyone should have in college.