Falk Realizing Dividends of Hard Work
By Harold Huggins

Coming out of high school in Cincinnati in 2001, it took Audra Falk about half a season to adjust to the rigors of college tennis, not to mention the academic load at the school.

"It definitely took an adjustment period,'' said Falk while huffing and puffing as she spoke while doing conditioning drills after a recent practice at Currey Center.

Struggling early last year, Falk, playing mostly at No. 5 and 6 singles, put on a late-season burst. Falk, 19, completed a 21-5 singles and 9-2 doubles record and wound up making All-SEC at No. 6 singles for Vanderbilt during its ride to the NCAA team tournament final 16 last May.

"I knew at this level, I was just going to have to work harder,'' said Falk, who compiled a 140-6 career record at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, There, she won the school's first individual state singles title and led her team to three consecutive Ohio state titles.

Heavily recruited by Wake Forest, North Carolina and Notre Dame, Falk chose Vanderbilt "because of their great academics and their tennis team's tradition.''
Almost quietly and seemingly overnight, the 5-9 sophomore has developed into one of the most dependable players for the No. 8 ranked Commodores. She is undefeated so far this season at 12-0 in singles and doubles.

"Audra's really an athlete,'' said Coach Geoff Macdonald, noting that Falk was also an excellent track star (400 meter dash and 4X200 meter relay) and soccer player in high school. In fact, Falk holds the school record in the 400 at :60.02.

"She has developed into one of our most consistent players,'' said Macdonald who has taken each of his eight previous Vanderbilt teams to the NCAA tourney. "On top of that, she's very coachable, and she's gained the confidence she needs to win the big matches.

"Last year as a freshman, she beat a seasoned Duke junior 6-4 in the third set, then beat a seasoned junior in a tough match at Florida where it's never easy to play, and went on to make All-SEC,'' he said.

Falk came on board just after former Vanderbilt player Annie Plessinger of Cincinnati had graduated, but she said it wasn't necessarily a Queen City pipeline.

"I had heard of her,'' Falk said. "And I later spoke with her and I remember her telling me that Vanderbilt was a program on the rise.''

In the Vanderbilt media guide, Falk lists recent Australian champion Andre Agassi as her favorite tennis player.

"I just like how well he carries himself with such class, not only on the court, but off as well,'' said Falk, who is a human and organizational development major.
"He seems to be really nice, he's a hard worker and he's very professional,'' she said.

Falk has other activities besides sports. She went on a summer mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico where she worked an orphanage, a church and served at a homeless kitchen.

Asked about her off-the-court activities, she just said, "just hanging out with my friends, talking on the phone, not a whole lot.''

But she's strictly business when she gets on the court.

Playing mostly at No. 3 or 4 singles, she is one of the key ingredients in Vanderbilt's 6-1 record (UPDATE THIS), heading into last home weekend matches with Tulsa and Iowa.

Even in Vanderbilt's only loss, a recent 4-3 setback at Duke, she scored one of Vanderbilt's most impressive wins a 6-1, 6-3 romp over the Blue Devils' Julie DeRoos.

"After that match, I knew I had the confidence to do well in big matches,'' said Falk, "you have to stay completely focused and not let down.''

"She knows she really has to work hard to achieve her goals,'' Macdonald said. "She's come a long way since the first part of her freshman year.''

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McDonald announced that Vanderbilt would not be attending the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Indoor tournament this weekend, Feb. 6-9, breaking a long streak of appearances at the event by his Commodores.

"We just have too many nagging injuries,'' he said. "I don't want to go up to play in a tournament as big as that with our team not at full strength,'' he said.