Last year, WashU women’s tennis player Eliana Hanna, then a junior, and co-founder Thrisha Kosaraju started the first-ever collegiate chapter of the national nonprofit Second Serve.
The youth-run national organization’s mission is to enhance the lives of underresourced children who love the game of tennis. Second Serve redistributes tennis equipment to underserved communities. Nationally, the organization has made an impact in 39 states and 15 countries, has more than 264 members and has made more than 32,500 donations.
The WashU chapter of Second Serves hosts clinics for the local community in collaboration with multiple organizations including Breakpoint, Net Rushers, Ritenour School District and Premier Charter School. Additionally, members donated rackets, shoes, tennis bags and racket covers to 32 kids in the St. Louis area last spring.
“Thrisha and I were both members of the national organization since high school,” said Hanna, a student at Olin Business School. “I worked on a donation to Zimbabwe, which was super rewarding and fun. We came to WashU and we were like ‘This is missing from WashU’ and wanted to start something, and there was no other collegiate chapter for it.”
The main goal for bringing Second Serve to WashU is to make a difference in children’s lives and to give kids who may not otherwise play tennis the ability to pick up the sport.
“Tennis is one of those sports that has a big barrier to entry. The racket itself can cost $150,” Hanna said. “Second Serve and organizations like it are going to help kids be able to play the sport and enjoy something they don’t get to on the daily.”
Hanna is not the only WashU women’s tennis player with a spot on the club’s executive board. Senior Amber Edmonds joined Second Serve as the club’s vice president last year and now works as its marketing chair. Edmonds took part in one of the clinics as a women’s tennis player and quickly found herself wanting to be more involved in the organization.
“Our first clinic, we partnered with KEEN St. Louis, and I had so much fun playing tennis with the kids,” said Edmonds, also an Olin Business School student. “I knew this was definitely something I wanted to be more involved with.”
Hanna and Edmonds spent a lot of time working to get Second Serve recognized as an official WashU club.
“We were both grinding a lot. I feel like we were doing Second Serve stuff more than we were doing school work,” Hanna joked. “It was a lot of work, but it really paid off. We were able to get a lot of people interested and our clinics went great. We got great feedback from the kids and the organizations we were partnering with.”
“Another challenge in general just as a new club, you’re starting and no one really knows about you,” Edmonds added. “Going to the activities fair really helped us last semester.”
Students who want to get involved can find information here.
Although Hanna and Edmonds are experienced tennis players — and were part of the Bears’ 2025 national championship team — anyone can volunteer with Second Serve, no matter their tennis experience.
There are on-court instructor roles, which require tennis knowledge; but there are also roles that require little-to-no tennis knowledge. Athletes from several other sports, including women’s soccer, have gotten involved throughout the last year.
“We had around five to eight slots open for volunteers with no tennis experience,” Hanna said. “The rest were on the court with the kids. We also had some people picking up balls. And there’s a lot that goes into making sure the kids are in line and they’re not crowding each other, so there’s a lot of space for people who don’t know tennis.”
“It’s not always focused on how can we make their forehand better,” Edmonds said. “It’s really about connection. It’s about having fun. At the end of one clinic, we played 20 minutes of duck-duck-goose. The little kids love to talk and get to know us.”
Additionally, the skill range of the kids who attend the clinics varies. Ages range from 5 to teenager, and the courts are organized based on age and skill level. Second Serve has seen a lot of repeat groups and kids at their clinics.
This fall, Second Serve plans to do a Halloween-themed clinic, a couple of fundraisers and a group donation. In the spring, the organization will offer more clinics ,with plans to hold one in conjunction with a WashU women’s tennis match.
