NATCHITOCHES -- Tatiana Larina is much like any other Northwestern State student-athlete. She competes on the tennis court, excels in the classroom, and shows up to practice every day.
 
But unlike most, she can't sneak home for a visit because 6,215 miles separate her from her parents and their hometown village of Taganrog, Russia, her comfort zone.
 
Larina, an Academic All-America nominee with a near-perfect 3.95 grade point average as a double major in hospitality management and family consumer sciences, has made Natchitoches her home for the last four years. This weekend, her collegiate athletic career culminates with the Lady Demons' second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons, a 2 p.m. first-round match in Waco, Texas, against No. 8-ranked Baylor.
 
She flew halfway around the world to Louisiana as a freshman, not knowing what to expect and having never visited the campus. What she found, she says, was a "good surprise."
 
"It was all so surreal. I had to just keep reminding myself that I was actually in America," Larina says. "I still remember my first Algebra class. I felt like I was in a movie."
 
The senior Lady Demon tennis star did not let homesickness scare her. In fact, she immediately embraced her new home.
 
"My first night here, I learned to say Natchitoches and not Nack-it-toches.  Right away, I was comfortable," she says. "I saw the campus, and I was so excited. I was in America. I had never seen anything like this before. It was amazing. My first month, I was so pumped. I took a thousand pictures around campus."
 
She now represents the Lady Demons as their senior captain, a position that fits her personality well.
 
Her work ethic on and off the court inspires many other players on the team, including one of her closest friends, her Southland Conference champion No. 1 doubles partner, Natalya Krutova.
 
"She always brings a positive attitude to the court," Krutova says. "If she sees you down, she's the first one to cheer you up during a game."
 
She has certainly navigated successfully through the vastly differing worlds of academics and athletics between Russia and the USA.
 
Back home, tennis is more popular with larger crowds and a bigger fan base. Larina was surprised to see the popularity of sports like football and baseball, which seemed to capture majority of the attention in America. To Larina, football is played with a circular ball at your feet, a game Americans know as soccer.
 
At age 4, considering a list of sports compiled by her father, Larina was introduced to tennis.
 
Her father, Victor, a Russian Olympic competitor in the hammer throw, had specific ideas for the kind of sport he wanted his only daughter to play. The list included soccer, basketball, volleyball and 27 other sports. His conclusion brought a racket to Larina's right hand.
 
At the time, her father was unaware of the financial resources necessary for a career in tennis. After that became apparent, Larina continued to train as much as she could.
 
"Tennis in Russia is competitive. You have to be very talented to shine on the high level," Larina says. "Some players may have the talent, but not the money, and the money is usually more important."
 
Larina always had the physical ability required for the sport, but lacked the money needed to pay for a coach, travel, court time and sponsors.
 
Around age 9 she began winning her first tournaments, thriving on the thrill of competition. A few years later, she and her parents paused to consider the years ahead.
 
"At 15 or 16, you start thinking about your future, and as a tennis player in Russia, you have two choices – either quit, or go professionally, and to do that, you have to have big money behind you. I heard about the opportunity to get an education and continue in tennis in the United States, and I thought I would love to do that."
 
Her skill on the tennis courts and her desire to earn a college degree resulted in a scholarship at Northwestern. Former NSU tennis coach Luc Godin travelled to Russia to see Larina play. What he saw, he liked.
 
His evaluation was spot on. Larina has built one of the most remarkable resumes in school history.
 
She has earned All-Southland Conference honors in singles and doubles all four seasons. She was the 2012 Southland and All-Louisiana Freshman of the Year. Twice she's made the ITA All-Academic Team and she's a shoe-in for her third such honor, along with Academic All-Southland accolades for the third time.
 
Larina is second in Lady Demon history with 68 dual-match doubles wins as her 68-13 record, including 19-1 with Krutova at No. 1 this year, gives her a career winning rate of .839 that is also second all-time at NSU.  Her 55 dual-match singles triumphs is seventh best in four decades of NSU women's tennis.
 
NSU has played in three Southland Conference championship matches, winning two, in her four seasons. The Lady Demons are 64-27 in her career in dual match play, 32-8 in Southland competition.
 
A fellow Russian, Victoria Khanevskaya, played at Kansas and joined the tennis staff as a graduate assistant this year, to Larina's delight.  Khanevskaya says her countrywoman's achievement is well-earned, and her leadership-by-example style is distinct.
 
"She has an incredible work ethic. She works hard all the time, and is always trying to be the best version of herself," Khanevskaya says. "As a captain, it's rare to not speak up often, but Tatiana speaks through her actions."
 
Because of the costly flight home, her only opportunity to return to Russia each year is during the summer. Each of the last four years, she has spent around 10 months in Natchitoches, and the anticipation makes going home that much more special for her.
 
Since she is an only child, Larina is particularly close to her parents. With a nine-hour time difference, keeping in touch is difficult. Sometimes, they go weeks without actually speaking, especially during the busy tennis spring season.
 
But Larina now has a second home to hold dear -- Natchitoches, the town and especially the people.
 
She says: "I've never met such kind and generous people. They are always willing to help me, and have influenced me growing as a person, and a tennis player. My professors are friends, they are mentors to me, and that is very special."
 
With family being one of her top priorities, she hopes to return to Russia one day, to call it home again.
 
However, her plans will keep her in America a little longer. Larina will graduate this fall after a semester-long internship in New York. Her fervent hope is that her parents can attend her graduation, which is easier said than done.
 
Her teammates and coaches will miss the play she provides the court. But what makes Larina special is what she does off the court, they say.
 
"She always supports us in everything we do," Aliona Ladutska, a sophomore player and roommate of Larina, says. "You can go up to her with any problem, and she will try to give you the best advice. She is just such a caring person."
 
One thing that each of her teammates agreed on was that Larina will leave NSU remembered as a hard worker, a kind person and an overall fighter – along with her academic and athletic accomplishments, quite a legacy.
 
Although she misses her parents and her home, she is forever grateful for the people she has met and memories she has made at NSU. She is ready for the next chapter in her life. Whether in America or Russia, she knows how to make the best of it.
 
Tatiana Larina is not just another student-athlete, but an inspiration to the people around her.
 
"She tries to do everything the best she can," Krutova says. "She is always ready to sacrifice her personal needs for the team."
 
Thousands of miles may separate Larina from her comfort zone, but her time at NSU has made her nothing but comfortable.

-- the author of this profile, Cassandria "Cassie" Briscoe, is a Lady Demon soccer student-athlete