Tennis Teams Adds International Students To the Dillard University Campus

Elijah Pittman
Dillardbleudevils.com Student Staff Writer

At the start of the 2022 spring semester, Dillard University recruited student-athletes from various countries abroad to restart the school's tennis programs. The university had been without a tennis teams since 2005 and decided the time was right to welcome back the sport.

Hurricane Katrina caused Dillard to reduce the number of sports offered until the university and the city of New Orleans could return fully. Dillard decided to build the sports program back gradually to aid in the recovery efforts necessary. As time progressed and Dillard grew and expanded, the DU Athletics Department decided in the spring of 2021 that it was the right time to restore the tennis program. Meenakshi Sundaram was hired as the men's and women's head coach in summer of 2021. He brings with him over 30 years of experience in coaching the sport of tennis and the athletic department is fully invested in his vision to build a successful national program through hard work, determination and recruiting. His first act as coach was to bring in overseas talent that he believes can help make his squad a force to be reckoned with.

Felix Hamp, aged 25, is a business administration and management major in his first year at Dillard University and as a member of the men's team. Hamp is from Boblingen, Germany, and this semester is his first time in the United States. "It was a long trip from Germany to get here. When I got here, the people were really nice and still are," says Hamp. When asked about how it feels to be going to an HBCU, he said, "It is a little bit different for me because it is the first time I am the minority, but like I said, everyone has been so welcoming and accepting." Hamp has high expectations for himself and the team. "My expectations are we want to win every time we get on the court, but we are also a completely new team. We don't know each other, so it may take a little time before we begin to play at our best as a group."

Yassine Ben Jemaa, aged 19, a computer science major from Sfax, Tunisia, is also beginning his first year at Dillard University and on the men's team. Like his teammate Hamp, Ben Jemma is also a long way from home but he's happy he made it. "I came all the way from North Africa. It wasn't an easy trip; it was very long. I came here because Coach Sundaram was really interested in me and gave me a great offer to continue my playing career here at Dillard." Ben Jemaa is excited to have this new experience, saying, "This is my first time here in the United States. I really like it, especially the seafood. I have visited and eaten at some places downtown and on Bourbon Street." Ben Jemaa is enjoying his time in New Orleans, but he understands how important it is to focus on the season to reach their goals. He also believes that because the team is new, they need to gain familiarity with one another first before they become a great team together.

Dillard University is known for its excellence in academics and also in the athletics. In each sport, Dillard has won multiple conference championships, earned national recognition and exposure and produced some outstanding and noteworthy national leaders. The expectation is that tennis teams, given the proper amount of time and the opportunity, will continue the tradition of excellence that Dillard's Athletics' department has become known for.

Dillard's tennis programs continue their seasons this weekend with a trip to take on Blue Mountain College for a Southern States Athletic Conference match on Saturday, March 12, starting at 11 a.m. in New Albany, Mississippi. The 2022 Dillard men's tennis team roster consists of Felix Hamp, Albert Segura, Youssef Berrajah, Pranav Mehta, Boris Aguma and Yassine Ben Jemaa. The team was picked to finish seventh in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) in their first year of competition. 

The 2022 Dillard women's tennis team roster consists of Hafsa Sanhaji, Prerana Koirala, Kaavya Palani, Christian Jones and Kayla Hennigan. The team was picked to finish seventh in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) in their first year of competition.

The addition of the two tennis programs this year for the athletic department marked the first time Dillard University added sports since the 2009-10 school year when the five sports were added in men's and women's cross country and men's and women's track & field plus the sport of softball. With the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) not offering tennis as a competitive sport at this point, Dillard is playing the 2022 season as an associate member of the SSAC.

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