Alabama
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State
Alabama Women’s Tennis Duo’s Second Chance at a Senior Season Gets Underway Friday
10/8/2020 4:05:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Alba Cortina Pou and Sydney Riley and the rest of the Crimson Tide get the 2020-21 season started Friday with the three-day SEC Challenge #1 in Tuscaloosa
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alba Cortina Pou and Sydney Riley have a lot in common. They're both graduate students at Alabama who were in the midst of the best season of their respective careers last spring. And both are getting a second shot at their senior year on the court after the Covid19 pandemic cut short their 2019-20 season last March.
"Obviously, the way our season ended last year was not as we all had planned, and I didn't feel like I got closure," Cortina Pou said. "I wanted more. To have this year to keep improving my game alongside my teammates is a really great opportunity."
The biggest difference between the two veterans is that Cortina Pou is in her fifth season as a member of the Alabama women's tennis, while Riley is in her first, after graduating from Clemson and joining the Crimson Tide for her final year as a graduate transfer.
"After the shutdown I was thinking, 'last week was the last tennis match I'll ever play,' and that was going to be my whole tennis career and I was pretty sad," Riley said. "I was planning on coaching tennis in New York over the summer and not playing again. It's awesome that I'm getting a whole new experience at a whole new school with new coaches that I really love. I'm so thankful for this season."
In addition to having the shared experience of having their collegiate careers extended and having the chance to finish out on their terms, both women have a renewed sense of appreciation for the game and playing as part of a team.
"It definitely will be special," Cortina Pou said. "I don't think I have ever in my life gone this long without playing a competitive match and I've been playing since I was eight years old. It's been so many months since we've been able to compete, and I love competing, especially with my team. So, I'm excited to get back on the court and see where we are and what we can work on. It's going to be a great opportunity."
That opportunity starts this weekend, October 9-11, as the Crimson Tide hosts Georgia, Florida, Kentucky and Mississippi State in the first of two SEC Challenges this fall in Tuscaloosa. Matches will get underway at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday. The matches will be streamed live on RollTide.com.
Due to health and safety considerations in addition to the current guidelines, attendance at Alabama tennis home competitions is limited to guests of student-athletes and each team's coaching staff if the matches are played outdoors. If matches are played indoors, there will be no spectators allowed.
And after a fall that has included lots of practice matches against their teammates, the Crimson Tide is eager to compete outside their circle and face off against SEC foes.
"We've been playing a lot of practice matches but it brings a different gear when you're really fighting for your team and fighting for your school to get that 'W,'" Riley said. "We're all really excited to get out there and show what Alabama is all about."
With a very young team that includes four freshmen among a team of nine, the leadership and experience of Cortina Pou, Riley and the rest of the Tide's upperclassmen will certainly come in handy.
"All the freshmen have been ready to work since the first day they came here," Cortina Pou said. "I'm really excited about them because they really stepped on the court ready to give their best and they're really talented as well, so I think we're going to have a really good year."
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