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Alba Cortina Pou’s Alabama Women’s Tennis Career Rolls On
5/6/2021 4:35:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Crimson Tide and their graduate senior leader play in the NCAA Championships tournament on Friday at 2 p.m. CT in Waco, Texas, against Duke
WACO, Texas – Was it over, or was there more tennis to play?
That is what was going through Alba Cortina Pou's mind on Monday as the NCAA Women's Tennis Selection Show was set to begin.
She hoped to see Alabama's name pop up on the screen, but she also knew that the Crimson Tide was on the bubble. It was a 50-50 proposition on if UA's season and with it, her career, was over.
Cortina Pou was trying to make peace with the possibility that her career was over as the clock ticked closer to the start of the show that would reveal the Tide's fate. She had enjoyed an amazing career at Alabama over the past four years. Even when the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown her first senior year, the NCAA granted her the opportunity to finish her career on her terms.
She made the most of her second senior season, playing her heart out, moving up the Tide's lineup when her team needed her, settling at No. 2 in singles. She was playing at No. 2 on Senior Day at the Alabama Tennis Stadium, when she had "the best day of my life," playing against the No. 10 ranked Texas A&M Aggies.
Cortina Pou had already notched one win on the day, combining with Anna Parkhomenko to take a 6-1 win at No. 3 singles, while Anne Marie Hiser and Sydney Riley picked up a 6-4 win at No. 2 to give UA the doubles point. The match rolled into singles where Riley, the Tide's other graduate senior, and Hiser, earned wins at No. 6 and No. 4, respectively. The Aggies won at Nos. 1, 3 and 5. The match was tied 3-3, bringing it down to Court 2 and Cortina Pou.
She opened the match by losing 6-1 in the first set, before storming back in the second set, winning 6-4. The last regular-season match she would ever play on her home court came down to a third set, the only one of the day.
She went up early before the Aggie's Jayci Goldsmith tied it up and then pulled ahead. Cortina Pou fought back to tie it up at 6-6 and send it to a tiebreaker. Cortina Pou got it done in just 10 points, winning 7-3, to give UA the upset.
The win over the Aggies marked the second time in a span of three matches that a victory over a top-25 opponent came down to Cortina Pou's, and the second time that she pulled off a three-set thriller to secure a Tide upset.
Alabama had played well down the stretch, but would it be enough.
"It's been a very long and hard season for everyone, but I couldn't be prouder of this team," Cortina Pou said. "We've been working very hard since the beginning and we put ourselves in a position to play in the NCAAs."
The selection show started and Cortina Pou and her teammates were in the team room at the Alabama Tennis Stadium, eyes focused on the television. The question went through her mind once again, was this it, or was there more tennis with this team she loved so much?
"I was nervous for sure," she said. "I've been playing since I was seven years old, and I just didn't know, was this it, had I played my last match, or was there more to come?"
With a total of 64 teams to be announced, it could have been a long wait. In fact, the Crimson Tide men were among the last four teams announced later on that fateful Monday.
The Alabama women's team wouldn't have to wait that long, they were the 14th team announced.
They say that a picture is worth a 1,000 words and the photo of Cortina Pou the moment Alabama's name popped up on the screen, the excitement on her face, her arms thrown up in the air, said it all. The Crimson Tide's season and Cortina Pou's career, would roll on.
"I was trying to put myself in the mindset that if we didn't make, I wouldn't be really sad about," she said. "So, when Alabama came up on the screen, I was so emotional and happy that we had this opportunity to keep playing, and that I had the chance to extend my career and keep playing for the script A. I just love Alabama, it's been an amazing experience for me … I would do this forever."
Cortina Pou and her teammates get things going Friday at 2 p.m. CT on the Baylor University campus, facing off against Duke. As it turned out the Tide men are also competing at Baylor, taking on Oregon on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
"We're excited that the boys are out there too," Cortina Pou said. "It makes it a little extra special. They'll be out there cheering us on and we'll be doing the same for us. It's nice that we get to experience these opportunities together."
It has been a bit of a whirlwind since the announcement was made on Monday. Arrangements and packing took most of Tuesday and Wednesday was travel day, capped by an evening hitting session in Waco, with one of the last practices of Cortina Pou's career coming on Thursday.
"I'm trying not to think about that," she said. "I'm just enjoying everything as much as I can. Alabama has been my home for the last four years and I couldn't be more grateful for all the opportunities I've had and all the people who have made a difference in my life. Right now, there is nothing I'd rather be doing then playing another match with my girls. I'm going to enjoy every last second."
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