"New" is a word first-year women's tennis coach Dawna Prevette has been hearing a lot of lately, both in her professional and personal life.

After taking over as the women's tennis coach for the Nittany Lions, she's had to deal with a new team and new players, while starting over in a new town and state.

Prevette spent her entire life -- childhood, college, adulthood -- in Texas until she was recently chosen to replace former coach Buffy Baker after she resigned in July.

Prior to coming to Penn State, she was a four-year letter winner at her alma mater, North Texas University. After graduation she went on to coach the Mean Green for six seasons and was an assistant coach at Baylor for one year.

Despite her strong ties to Texas, Prevette feels that her new move to the Northeast was the right one.

"I was not looking to leave Baylor," Prevette said. "However, Penn State's tradition and strong school spirit made the job more appealing and made me want to come here to coach."

Prevette has already implemented a new training plan for the team, having players work with Penn State athletics, unlike previous years where the team would workout together or by themselves.

While the team has been in the weight room and practicing for only a week, players have already begun to see how Prevette's coaching style is different from previous years.

"She is trying to make us think about every shot we take and challenge us physically on the court and in the weight room," senior Jenny Shular said.

Prevette has also made an attempt to unify the team on and off the court.

She has made the players dress in the same uniforms for practices, unlike previous seasons, and encouraged the team to hang out with each other outside of practice.

"She wants everyone to act together," sophomore Lauren McCarthy said. "She has made sure that everyone is on the same page and buying into the system."

What she brings to the table as a coach is reflected in the mental toughness and technique of players she watches in her spare time on the professional tennis tour. An admirer of Roger Federer's mental toughness and Justine Henin's technique, Prevette strives to mimic those same characteristics to her players.

While she loves to watch tennis, it is not the only sport she tunes into in her spare time. Prevette is an avid football fan. While she is not known to wear a cheesehead on Sundays, she is a Green Bay Packers fan, partly because of Brett Favre.

"[Favre] has such an amazing sports mentality about both life and football and continues to show how tough he is in every game, both of which we are trying to improve with our players," Prevette said.

All of the characteristics that Prevette admires in players and exudes herself have made players on the team believe in her and the job she will do this season as a new head coach.

"She is straightforward and down to earth in everything that she does," junior Leyla Morzan said. "And because of that, I know that she will be successful as our head coach."