Most people don’t react quite like Drury senior tennis player Mouna Sabri did when she first came to Drury.
“I cried every day first semester,” Sabri said. “I was so homesick.”
Then again, most Drury students didn’t travel across the Atlantic Ocean from a completely different culture like Sabri, who is from Morocco, had to do.
Heading into this weekend’s NCAA-II Regionals at Grand Valley State, Sabri has posted a 19-3 record in singles play and a 20-4 mark in doubles play this season to follow up a junior campaign in which she was named GLVC Player of the Year.
“Springfield wasn’t that big of a shock to me because I spent four years traveling through Europe and playing tennis, so I was at least familiar with European and western cultures,” Sabri said. “What was hard was not having my family around.”
Growing up in a small family in Morocco as a self-described spoiled child, Sabri was used to having the comfort of family, even as she traveled throughout the country and Europe for tennis.
“I started playing when I was 10 years old and my father really encouraged me and reminded me how good of an opportunity it was to make something of myself,” Sabri said. “At first I didn’t really take it seriously until I was about 16.”
Coming to Drury on the advice of family friend, and current Drury men’s tennis coach, Amine Boustani meant leaving behind the comfort she had in Morocco.
“At first I was unsure, but it was a great opportunity, so I decided to come for a semester and see how I liked it,” Sabri said. “It was a hard transition, but I liked it so I decided to stay for another.”
Sabri was lucky that her transition to an American university found her at a school with a large international population that was going through the same struggles she was.
“I was so homesick that first semester, but everyone was so supportive, especially the other international students and athletes,” Sabri said. ‘They helped me so much to adjust to everything.”
Since the struggles of her first semester, Sabri has tried to take advantage of every opportunity she’s had while at Drury, both on the court, where she has posted a 47-17 record in singles play, and off it.
“There are so many things I like about being here,” Sabri said. “The freedom of speech, meeting people from around the world and being able to break the stereotypes I was taught growing up. It has been such a learning experience. I grew up a lot, and I wouldn’t give anything for the time I’ve had at Drury.”
Sabri’s time here is growing short. With less than two weeks remaining in her final semester, Sabri will graduate in August after completing an internship, the final requirement for her to earn her degree in exercise and sports science.
But that short time at Drury has shown Sabri a side of the world that she has no intention of leaving anytime soon.
“I plan on staying in the United States after I graduate,” Sabri said. “I’ve talked with my boyfriend about moving to Houston. There are opportunities for me to be a tennis coach and there is a large Moroccan community there. Plus the weather is warmer so it will be more like home.”
Even with her eye on the future, Sabri will not forget the memories and life lessons she learned while at Drury.
“I’ll always remember tennis – winning, losing, everything – and the school,” Sabri said. “The teachers I’ve had have been great and very helpful, and I am so thankful to my coach and to Amine for bringing me here.”
