UNA Player goes home to New Zealand to wait out coronavirus pandemic with family

UNA Tennis Player makes choice to go home

As new zealand moves quickly to close its boarders.

Kalais going is use to the unknown... she picked up her world after high school and left new zealand to play tennis at north alabama.

"i mean coming here as an international student athlete, your life just changes 360."

As coronavirus leaves the world with several unknowns, kalais had to act quickly, making the decision to go back to new zealand this week before her country's boarders close.

"my parents have been really supportive and understanding, and i think the scariest thing is just the airports are the biggest place i can get coronavirus."

When she gets back home, she'll have to be quarantined for two weeks.

"a lot of student athletes were debating, should we go home, should we stay, but at the end of the day, we made the right call to go back, because at least we can be with our family."

Being with her family means being away from her teammates back home in the states... this is the new normal for the rest of the semester..

Nicole reiley says her and kalais will still talk all the time.

"we'll snap chat, we'll facetime, with the time distance it may be a little tough, when i'm in the middle of the day she's just waking up, so at one o clock we'll talk."

As to when kalais can come back to una, thats another unknown, but she's remaining positive tjhe corona virus pandemic is over by summer.

"right now we don't know but i'm really praying we can come back in august and all will be well and it will just be a sad story we can reflect on."

Look live: kalais has been staying with nicole and her family in huntsville for the past week, while she waits for her flight home wednesday... reporting in huntsville, lynden blake, waay 31 sports.