Recruiting Profile
Five-Star Villagomez Sees a Bright Future at Davidson
by Rhiannon Potkey, 2 October 2024
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During official visits, coaches want everything to be perfect for recruits. They want to be able to showcase all the great things about their campus.
Kai Villagomez’s official visit to Davidson College didn’t seem to be following the script. The area around the North Carolina campus lost power and the school was basically shut down.
Five-Star Kai Villagomez Has Committed to Davidson
© Contributed Photo
Villagomez arrived at the dorms wondering what to expect.
“It was on the first weekend of school and nobody really knew each other yet. But everyone came together,” he said. “We were playing Uno for like three hours. We were playing board games and everything. It was so great to see how everyone was getting along so well.”
The community spirit is part of what sold Villagomez on Davidson. The five-star senior from Matthews, North Carolina has committed to the Wildcats.
“Davidson wasn’t even on my radar at the start to be honest,” Villagomez said. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to get into the school because of their academic standards. But one of the members of my club went to Davidson and told me I should reach out to the coach.”
Once he did, Villagomez realized the community college classes he takes outside of his regular high school classes would help boost his transcripts.
Villagomez was born in South Carolina and moved to Ohio when he was 5. He was a “pretty hyper kid” and his parents, who both played tennis at LSU, enrolled him in karate.
“I think that was really good for me. I would meditate a lot and it taught me a lot about control,” Villagomez said. “It helped to calm everything down because I was bouncing off the walls.
Once his family relocated to North Carolina, Villagomez and his sister started playing tennis. They both really just wanted to swim in the local pool, but their dad made them visit the courts nearby before they switched into their bathing suits.
“The courts were cracked everywhere and the net had holes in it. It was a terrible court, but we had to play two hours of tennis if we wanted to go to the pool,” Villagomez said. “We hated it so much. We dreaded going to the courts. We were picking up more balls than we were hitting. It was a pain.”
Villagomez is No. 4 in N.C. on the Head Recruiting List
© Contributed Photo
But by the end of the summer, they were learning technique and began having more fun. Their dad took a job at a local club and they would join the clinics.
“That’s when we started picking it up, and then he put us in our first tournament. Once that happened, I was all in,” Villagomez said. “I just wanted to play and compete as much as I could. It got to the point where I was able to play at the college level now, which is awesome.”
Villagomez’s mom is from South Carolina and his dad is from Mexico. They met at LSU while both were playing tennis for the Tigers. They brought Villagomez with them to an alumni event when he was 12.
“There was a match going on and all the guys were getting loud and I got a chance to see how tennis could be a team sport,” Villagomez said. “I really love playing in a team format. I liked it when I was a kid playing soccer. It looked really fun, and that’s when I knew I wanted to play tennis in college. I wanted to be a part of that.”
Villagomez wants to pursue a degree in public health with a minor in biology at Davidson. He’s interested in becoming a dietitian or nutritionist.
Villagomez has already started to purchase Davidson gear to wear while he is practicing. He’s noticed more of a lightness to his game since he committed. He’s unburdened by the stress of the recruiting progress and excited about his future as a Wildcat.
“It's amazing. I feel really confident that I made the best choice,” he said. “Obviously it was really hard telling other schools no, because I was lucky to have some good options. But once I stepped on campus at Davidson, it just felt really right. I was happy.”
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About Rhiannon Potkey
Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two
decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many
sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories.
Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national
events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches.
Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You
can reach Rhiannon by email at
[email protected].
