Alexa Noel was No. 4 in the International Tennis Federation’s junior world rankings. Iowa head tennis coach Sasha Schmid thought for sure she’d earn a wild-card bid to turn pro. Nevertheless, she stayed in touch with the Noel family and when the pandemic hit in March 2020, all of the professional tennis tournaments were canceled.

Noel was training in Florida at the time and returned home to New Jersey, when her mother brought up the idea of playing collegiate tennis. A little over a year later, she’ll be playing for an NCAA title as the lone qualifier from the Iowa women’s tennis team. She’s only the third Hawkeye in history to earn a singles draw and the first with All-America honors on the women’s side.

The Gazette's Leah Vann caught up with Noel on this week's On Iowa Podcast as she prepares for the NCAA championships.

Read more: Alexa Noel forgoes pro career amid pandemic, now represents Iowa in NCAA tennis championships