JACKSONVILLE — In six days history will be made at Jacksonville College when the Lady Jaguar tennis team plays Seminole (Okla.) Community College and the school's men's team battles Southwestern (Okla.) Christian University — both events are scheduled to be played in Oklahoma City — in what will become the first tennis matches in school history.

And, as with any new program, an identity often takes time to develop, but with that being said, if there ever was one player that stands for much of what JC is all about as an institute of higher learning and for the direction that its women's tennis program would like to be perceived in, Kailla Parker, would be a fitting front-and-center person in both regards.

Parker is a freshman and a graduate of Groesbeck High School, home of the Goats.

“From a Goat to a Jaguar,” Parker said with pride during the team's Media Day on Wednesday at the Jacksonville Country Club, in summing up in six words where she came from and where she is now.

Parker said adjusting to like as a college tennis player has been a challenge, but one that she has accepted and adjusted to well.

“There is a big difference when you come in and have to get to know an entire new set of team mates, with everyone having a different personality,” she said. “Everyone hits the ball differently and does different things on the court and the coaching is different from high school to college.

“I've been here about three weeks and things have been easy to adjust to.”

JC head tennis coach Kenneth Michaud has been having his players engage in challenge matches to give him an idea of how the players stack up against one another skill wise.

The student-athletes seem to take the matches very serious (as they should) realizing that they are competing for spots in the line-up.

“We were picked randomly for the challenge matches and my first two were the hardest,” Parker said. “Even though I know some of the girls on the team, having played against them in high school, I was still kind of nervous.

“I won one of my first two matches, so I felt good.”

And though competitive against each other on the court, when the inter-squad matches are done, the team reverts back to being a single unit.

“We try to encourage one another,” Parker said. “It is a nervous time for us all, not knowing if we make the line-up (next week), or if we play doubles who our partner will be and there are some girls that tend to get down on themselves from time to time and when that happens I try to let everyone know that we are a team and that we are equal.”

The Lady Jags have been burning the midnight oil, so to speak, when it comes to preparing for the fall season.

“In addition to our regular practices, we practice on our own on the new courts on campus,” Parker said.

Life has also been going well for Parker off of the court where she has found the JC experience to be of her liking.

“I was all set to go to a different college when Coach Michaud called and me with an opportunity to come to Jacksonville College and play tennis,” Parker said. “I'm glad I decided to come here because people care more about you here in Jacksonville. Everybody cares, the faculty, the students and that is encouraging.

 “I consider it a privilege to be here and I know I am God blessed. This opportunity has answered a lot of prayers for me and my family.”

Michaud said that he likes what he sees from Parker, both on and off of the court.

“Kailla is one of our hardest workers and in the time that she has been here she has continued to show improvement,” he said. “I expect big things for her and she will be a top-of-the-lineup player. She has earned that.

“You want find anybody that has any more character than Kailla. She truly embraces the mission of this college.”