Camila Tumosa, of the LMU Women’s tennis team has faced harsh realities dealing with the end to her senior season, but the game has expanded her horizons in ways that she will cherish forever.

The team was practicing over the spring break, preparing for their first conference match against San Francisco University, when they were interrupted by a text from Coach Moreno explaining the rest of their season would be cancelled. Due to Coronavirus precautions, the NCAA cancelled all spring sports. “This was really heartbreaking…we were looking forward to the season and tournament. Not having the opportunity to do it definitely affected me and I experienced a lot of grief,” Tumosa said. As most seniors, Tumosa has been looking forward to her senior day since freshman year, and the unexpected end did not bring the closure she longs for.

Tennis is a huge part of shaping Tumosa’s identity. As her career began as a student at LMU, Tumosa became immersed in the entire experience. Making friends, studying, and being an athlete expanded her horizons. Before coming to LMU, Tumosa traveled and competed by herself, viewing tennis as mainly an individual sport. Tumosa reveals, “When I got to LMU, it changed the perspective of tennis…having a coach and teammates.” Being on a team became the best aspect of tennis for Tumosa. With a team consisting of many international women and being from Argentina herself, Tumosa explains, “It was really nice to feel a connection with [my teammates]…the dynamics and personalities made us grow and open our minds to different people and cultures.”

As a psychology and sociology double major, Tumosa is able to apply concepts learned in the classroom into the matches she plays. “Tennis is a mental sport…it’s so strategic, you have to control your emotions because you can’t let your emotions control your game,” Tumosa explains. Tumosa carries a resilient mindset to be present and focus on the moment. In her eyes, the game is not over until she shakes hands with the opponent. Tumosa believes there is always a chance to come back, even when translated to life obstacles. “Whenever you are going through something hard, it’s up to you to change the mentality and appraise the situation,” she says. As an athlete facing the current situation of the Coronavirus pandemic, she continues to switch her mindset and push forward. Over the past few weeks, Tumosa has kept herself occupied by doing home workouts and yoga from videos posted on LMU’s sports performance Instagram.

Looking ahead, Tumosa is unsure about her plans surrounding tennis. Although the NCAA granted spring sports another year of eligibility, Tumosa still is weighing her options. Her previous plan is to begin working for a company that recruits athletes from all over the world, connecting them to universities and coaches to gain scholarships. As an international student athlete, this job will allow Tumosa to help other students experience just as transformative a career as she had the past four years at LMU.