By Benjamin Lampkin
The trip across the Atlantic from England to Louisville has been a positive one for two parties. One, it has allowed freshman Kelly Taylor an opportunity to showcase the skills she’s developed since her start in South Africa at age ten. Two, the University of Louisville women’s tennis team has benefited greatly from the lone freshman on an already young squad.
Taylor has been impressive this season, garnering accolades from the coaching staff and helping the Cards to a 6-13 overall record.
“We’ve had a few good wins this past week, which is pretty good,” said Taylor. “Going into conference it will help a lot.”
Taylor started out at No. 6 singles and moved up quickly to No. 4, while teaming with Mariana Torres at No. 2 doubles. She’s posted singles wins in her past three matches, helping U of L to victories over Xavier and Samford, while the Cards lost a tough home match to DePaul 5-2.
With the regular season coming to a close, head coach Meg Peavy can breath a sigh of relief that her young team (made up of two juniors, three sophomores, and Taylor, who “gets a lot of stink” for being the only freshman) has made it to this point with their heads held high.
“It’s been a very challenging season, just a lot of matches and one of our most competitive schedules thus far,” said Peavy. “But it’s been a very rewarding year, they’re much closer, they have great team camaraderie and our great addition, our great freshman from England, has been quite a story for us.”
Taylor’s all-around game has improved, allowing her to compete with the heavier hitters in Conference USA and throughout college tennis.
“She’s very talented with her all-court game. She not only can hit with some big hitters, but she has an incredible set of hands,” said Peavy. “She has a better than average second serve, and just delivers to us a great deal of English charm.”
“I’m practicing a lot more than I used to,” said Taylor. “You gotta just enjoy being out there and playing the game.”
“Her development has been good to see in that the power tennis that she wasn’t getting as much playing in England. She was exposed to it enough that she’s getting comfortable,” said Peavy. “She’s settling into her game, she’s quite compatible with any of the players that we put her with. She’s getting better every week that she steps on the court.”
The Cards head into the Conference USA Tournament this Thursday in Dallas, Texas, and will face UAB in the opening round. If the Cards win, they will face DePaul once more. The Blue Demons are No. 2 in conference, and pose a formidable threat to the Cards’ chances.
“We had a very good loss, if you will, to DePaul,” said Peavy. “They beat us 5-2, but we had chances on several of the courts, so I think when they (the players) hear they’re ranked second, they’re gonna be really energized by it.”
The team morale is high heading into postseason play, with several good wins under their belts from this past week (Xavier, Samford) and the confidence to compete with one of the best teams in conference.
“At the moment, especially from those wins, we’re a lot more ambitious as a team, we really wanna do well,” said Taylor. “That’s what we’re here to do, to play conference and do well.”
“We have to get by a very talented UAB team, and to propel us into another showdown with DePaul, we might be slightly more competitive with, given the conditions of outdoor play,” said Peavy. “A draw is just a roadmap, that’s what you make of it.”
A 6-13 record will not impress many people, but the potential for improvement in the future and immediately is what excites the coaching staff. They also know that some of the losses came as the result of not playing with a full team due to injuries.
“It’s not successful on paper, but the girls know we’ve lost half a dozen matches by 4-3 or 5-2,” said Peavy. “We know we’ve been very close to the competitors that have beaten us, but we’re excited, this is what it all boils down to.”
Whether or not the Cardinals advance deep into the postseason, Taylor’s development as a player will improve, and the Cards can look forward to successful seasons in the future.
“I’m learning a lot still, so we’ll see how it goes,” said Taylor. “Any one on the day, that’s tennis.”
