The Georgia Southern women's tennis team is back on the court! All throughout the season, we'll give you a closer look at the team with our 5 Questions segment. Our next student-athlete is freshman Nanaka Kijima!

Nanaka joined Georgia Southern as a true freshman this Fall and has been instrumental in the Eagles' great start to the 2023 season! She was named the Sun Belt Conference's Player of the Week on March 1, just the second Eagle to earn a Sun Belt weekly award, and she is 11-1 in singles this Spring!

1) What made you decide to come to Georgia Southern?

Because I like the atmosphere of this team. When I decided on the university, I couldn't go to the campus because of COVID. So, I was only able to see about the team on Instagram and online. I felt a good team atmosphere and energy more than at other universities. Also, I talked with Coach McCaffrey many times, and I liked coach's way of thinking for this team.

2) What's one place in the world that you'd love to travel to someday?

Great Britain 🇬🇧 Honestly, it's hard to choose one. But when I saw this flag when I was young, I thought it was cool and since then I really like Great Britain. They have many beautiful places and many sports were born there so, I'm very interested.

3) What is your favorite food?

Sushi. I can eat sushi every day and for every meal. I really like Japanese food!

4) Is there someone in your family outside of your parents who was a huge influence on you growing up? 

My twin brother, Kei. When we were young, we argued a lot with our competitive spirit. Because everyone compared us. But recently, we started to motivate each other and we became closer than we were.

5) Do you have a phrase that helps you get through a particularly tough day?

Bad things and good things don't last. We are living so, we have both bad days and good days. Even though we are happy to be alive, we tend to depend on them. So, I thought I want to enjoy even if I have a bad day because, it's not gonna be the last.