Born in Thailand and raised in Australia, freshman tennis player Thanapha "Bess" Bencharongkul, first picked up a racquet at the age of nine.

She has not taken the average path to Santa Monica College, but since arriving in Santa Monica, she has made the most of her time. In fact, her time in Santa Monica actually gave her the nudge she needed to get back on the tennis court.

"I was just focused on studying. To be honest, I wasn't planning on playing tennis here at all," Bess said. "But I got here, and did a semester, and I was like hey, what else can I do here."

Bess could not have picked a better time to join the SMC tennis team. With returning players Jessica Goldbeck, Victoria Mamatova, and the addition of Mary Katherine Ashmore, the Lady Corsairs could not have had a better shot at the elusive state title.