BOULDER, Colo. — Sometimes you have to lose a little bit to learn how much something truly means. Whether that's a match or the comfort of family living nearly 5,000 miles and an entire ocean away.
"I learned a lot. I learned how to be by myself, because my parents and my family they all live in Germany," tennis star Toni Balzert said. "Boulder is such a beautiful college town and city and being a Buff was unbelievable."
Balzert, a senior, left the court with her head hanging after her final match at the University of Colorado.
"The fact that I have something to be sad about, that I'm leaving, means so much," she said.
In her final match as a Buff, Balzert finally got to play in front of her parents and close friends for the first time in four years.
"Sometimes it could feel a little lonely, like you go through hard times and then you get homesick and miss your family and friends, but today, for example, my parents decided to come from Germany to see me play and be there for my Senior Day," she said. "Yesterday when I saw them, I just ran to my dad and gave him the biggest hug and my mom and I just felt so happy that they are here and I can show them how awesome Boulder is."
The support from her cheering section was the warmth Balzert needed to feel on a cold, blustery day in Boulder after falling in a heartbreaking final match.
"You know, tennis is a really individual sport, and the fact that they are with you, you don't feel as alone," she said. "Even though it was a tough match for me today, just them being there and I know they're going to support me and bump me up again, makes me feel less lonely and feel supported."
Balzert finished her season on the All-Pac 12 Second Team. She will play her fifth and final year of eligibility at the University of Miami.