Senior Alli Valk had a dream summer. The captain of the Viking Women's Tennis team and accounting major was chosen for a prestigious internship with Ernst and Young, considered one of the "big four" international accounting firms, in her home town of Vancouver, BC.

Valk worked as an audit intern working directly with clients. "It was very rewarding. Everyone learned so much. Working directly with clients was a new experience," said this year's recipient of the Barbara Coit-Yeager Endowed Scholarship for women's Athletics.

And, it strengthened her resolve to enter the accounting field after her graduation next spring.

"It sealed the deal for me. I got any questions I had out of the way," said Valk, who has signed to return to the firm's Vancouver office after graduation next spring, hopefully in auditing. 

But, that internship also created challenges.

It was challenging to find time to stay in shape and to play enough tennis to improve over the summer.

"I worked out in the morning. We'd finish work at five and the weather was really nice, so I played a lot of tennis outdoors in the evenings," Valk said.
She played against a number of her Big Sky Conference opponents "which was really good for my tennis." But, most important was working on fitness…lots of running and strengthening exercises. Even with the internship, Valk felt she was able to improve her fitness and her entire game.

"Alli's playing well. She's so coachable. I wish I had her for four years," said Kyle Russell, who took over as coach of the women's program this fall after five years at Loyola University, New Orleans.

Tuning up this fall for the 2020 season which begins Jan. 11 at the University of Washington, Valk was 2-2 in singles and felt she made strides in her doubles game despite three doubles losses, two of those at the hands of Washington and the University of Oregon.

Valk credits her conditioning for the two singles wins. "I think last year I might not have won those because I would have been really grinding. But work in the weight room and running really made a difference," she said.

Regarding the doubles losses, Russell said Valk "showed she can hang with them. I could not be happier with her play. She's hitting her stride."

Valk entered this season wanting to work more on her doubles. "We had tough matches, but I was able to improve my game," she said.

Russell agreed. "If you'd asked me several weeks ago, I'd have given you a list of things she needs to work on. But, she's already made great strides this year. She's worked on the things she needed to work on. She just needs to keep doing what she's doing."

In competitions, "it's easy to get ahead of yourself. I'm really trying to play in the moment. I'm trying to really enjoy myself and that's what's going to help me improve," said Valk.

Working as a team will be the key to success for the Vikings this season, believe Valk and Russell.

"We're all working to make each other better. That means we come every day and train and practice hard, working to make each other better. You have to focus on yourself, but at the same time, you need to be aware of what's happening on the other side of the net and how you can help make your teammate get better," she said.

Team play will be important, agreed Russell.

"We don't' have a big star we can hang our hat on. If we're going to win, it will have to be team play. Everyone has to bring it all every day. Alli's a great leader in that respect," he said.

Valk also thinks the Vikings might be able to sneak up on some teams this year. With a new coach, a lot of people won't know what to expect from the Vikings, she said. "I think that could be a big advantage…people might underestimate us this year."

And Russell thinks Valk will be a big part of any success the team has.

"She's the embodiment of what we want the team to be. She plays and competes hard. She's very coachable, and she's smart," he said.