Ida Krause has an extraordinary love for the game of tennis.

If I played it like she does, I'd love it too.

But it goes far beyond just playing for this Cowgirl senior who is from Vedbaek, Denmark, a lovely spot located near the North Sea some 25 minutes from Copenhagen.

"I love the skill that it takes to play, but it has taught me so much about life," says the senior who is completing her degree in business and has been a Mountain West Scholar Athlete multiple times. "It has taught me discipline, and mental toughness. It has brought me so many great things.  I have met great people because of it including my best friends.  There are ups and downs like all sports, but that's what life is all about.  And you can play it from age five to 95."

Krause and her Cowgirl teammates have a big conference weekend coming up, hosting New Mexico Saturday at 10 a.m., and Air Force on Sunday at 2 p.m., both at the Wyoming Indoor Tennis Center.

Home matches are something special at Wyoming, and the Cowgirls love the atmosphere.

"I decided to come to Wyoming for many reasons.  Coach (Dean Clower) was the main reason. He has a great sense of team," Ida says.  "But the fan support really surprised me.  It is amazing to see the number of fans who come to our matches.  Every time we travel, it reminds us of how special that is.  We played at Kansas this spring, a Top 20 program, and there were no fans at the match.  We all understand how fortunate we are to have the support we receive."

Ida (pronounced E-da) didn't start getting into tennis at five necessarily, but it wasn't long after that.  She actually began what she calls seriously concentrating on the sport until the age 12.  "I competed in swimming, gymnastics, horseback riding, all the sports," she says.  "But there was a local tennis club close by our house, and a lot of my friends went there and so I went too.  It wasn't long before I knew that's what I wanted to do.  We lived on a closed street and I have a lot of memories of my dad (Frederik) and I hitting tennis balls in the street."

From early on she knew she wanted to play college tennis.  In Denmark, like many countries, competitive athletics are not part of the college experience. It's not an option.  "I knew I would not be able to do both at home so if I wanted to compete, I would have to come to America," she says.  "I was so focused on that, I kind of skipped the part in my brain about leaving my family and being so far from home.

"So when I first got here it was a shock.  I didn't know anyone, I wasn't used to the food, all of the things that happen when you leave home.

"When I first started looking at colleges, I was looking at places with warm weather.  But more importantly I wanted to find a special coach and people with great values.  Being from the city, I also was looking for a small town vibe. I found all of that here.  It's a colder than what I was looking for, but I just love the lifestyle.  That's why I chose Wyoming, and I couldn't be happier.  I'm going to really miss it."

Ida is graduating this spring, and will be leaving for New York University to earn her master's degree in accounting which she hopes will pivot her into a future in finance.

"I always thought I would be going back home after college," she says.  "But I found myself becoming more American each year.  I'm now leaning toward getting a job here for at least a couple of years."

Why New York?  Through some contacts she got the opportunity to teach tennis in New York last summer, and liked NYU's program.  

Obviously Ida, who speaks four languages (Danish, English, French and German), puts an exclamation point on the student part of student-athlete.

"Being a student-athlete is not easy.  I think we all put pressure on ourselves to excel, and maybe pressure is not exactly the right word.  But it's important to us to be as good in the classroom as we are on the court.  It's important academically and physically to deliver every single day.  That really takes discipline.  I'm proud of being a scholar-athlete. That recognition is a reminder of all the late nights, and all the hard work I've put in. I think we are so busy that sometimes we forget to pat ourselves on the back."

Before concentrating on business, Ida was majoring in both business and psychology.  "It isn't as exciting maybe, but I chose business because it is so important in life and my future.  But I loved my psychology classes.  I didn't want to be a therapist by any means so I couldn't see it as my future.  But those classes were a lot of fun. I've actually used a little of it playing tennis because it is such a mental game."

Would she rather play singles or doubles?  When she arrived at Wyoming Ida's game was more focused on playing doubles and mixed doubles and not as much on singles. "As a freshman, I would say doubles was my favorite.  I loved having someone else on the court with me.  But as I've grown in the program, I really enjoy singles.  It's your own dynamic."

Ida has 37 career singles wins, and is tied for the team lead in singles wins. But she has been a part of 54 doubles victories. 

This spring, along with those singles wins, she and her doubles partner, Maria Oreshkina, also a senior, they have the team lead in doubles victories.  "Maria and I have a special bond, and I love playing doubles with her.  We have so much fun together."

Last week's win over San Jose State, the defending Mountain West champion was an important one, according to Ida. "As a team, I think we are finding our rhythm, hitting our stride.  These are two big matches at home this weekend.  We always look forward to playing Air Force.  We have kind of a thing with them, like we do Colorado State.  They have become big rivals."

She can't say enough good things about her coach. It's obvious he means a great deal to her. 

"I get emotional when I talk about him," she says.  "He is like a second father to me.  He never has a bad day!  He has had a big effect on me, and I will miss him the most.  It's tough when we lose a match, but he doesn't get as upset if he knows we gave 100 percent.  He does get mad, though, if he feels we didn't give 100 percent.  He always tells us that winning is effort.

"Thanks to him we have a very special team relationship," she continues.  "Tennis can become a very individual sport.  But we have outstanding individuals who play as a team.  There is a great feeling among us.  In some of the matches we play, we can tell than an opponent doesn't have that by the way they interact. They are in it for themselves.  That's when we appreciate our team the most.  That starts with Dean." 

Ida's mother (Malene) is the only member of the family who has been to Laramie to see watch her play.  "Because of COVID, my family has not been able to come.  But my mother was able to come before that,   and she loved it here.  She loved the people, she loved to downtown, she loved the lifestyle.  She could totally understand why I loved it here.

"What makes this place so special are the people.  It really doesn't matter where you are, it's all about people.  Take our coaching staff (Clower, Erica Medlin and Julie Gonzalez) for instance. They are such a big part of what makes it so great here.  They see us in so many different situations.  They see us laugh and they see us cry, and they've always been there for us.  I am really going to miss them, and all of this place when my career is over.  I will come back as often as I can."