Taking a nearly four-hour trip from Poughkeepsie to Plattsburgh, freshman tennis player Taylor Perre feels right at home.
Perre came to PSUC as an undeclared freshman, giving her a lot of options during the process of choosing a college.
Perre said she came to join the Cardinals because it was a good distance from home and PSUC had a tennis team, which some of her choices didn’t have available.
On the court, Perre is seen as the type of player that is readily eager to improve her game during every practice. First-year head coach Annmarie Curle said that Perre is “a coach’s dream” on the court.
“Her work ethic when she comes to practice is always about improvement and giving 100 percent,” Curle said. “She’s also very realistic about her mistakes if she has any, or areas of weakness that she needs to work on, and she almost knows what you are going to say before you say anything.”
In her first match as a freshman, Perre was able to win both her doubles match and her singles match, helping lead the Cards to their lone win of the season.
Perre has gone 3-7 this season, with a 2-3 record in doubles matches and 1-4 record in singles matches.
She said one of the main things she does when going into matches is to stay as calm as possible to keep from getting tense during the match.
Perre said when she starts to get worried and tense, she starts to mess up and things begin to go downhill.
“I pretty much just try to play point-by-point and stay calm and it will all work itself out,” Perre said.
Perre said one of her main issues is improving on her consistency, which isn’t always present throughout her matches.
While Perre does see what she needs to improve, she also sees the parts of her game where she really shines on the court.
Perre said one of her main strengths is her ability to place the ball.
“My placement and where I can aim the ball, I look for the holes and that‘s usually what you want to do and it works usually,” Perre said.
Fellow freshman Shari Forman said Perre is a great asset to the team and brings positivity to the matches.
“She always brings out positive energy amongst all the players,” Forman said. “She is always ready to play, she is always playing her best game, always in a positive state of mind and gives it her all on the court every time.”
Kristen Napper, who has teamed with Perre in doubles matches twice, most recently in the match against Cortland, said that Perre is a positive and upbeat person.
“Before we would play, she would say, ‘Good luck and have fun,’” Napper said. “So that is like her motto, just to go out there and have fun.”
Off the court, Perre is seen as a happy person who is easy to be around. Napper said that while she has only known Perre for a couple weeks, they have a connection and are friends. She said Perre is a sweet and bubbly person who always has a smile on her face.
Perre is a well-liked person by her teammates, with both Napper and Forman agreeing that she is a nice person and fun to be around.
Curle said from the first moment she met Perre, she knew that she was going to be a special person at PSUC.
“I had the privilege of meeting Taylor’s parents the first day they dropped her off at Whiteface,” Curle said. “I just knew from the initial meeting that Taylor was going to be one of those student-athletes that is going to absolutely shine here at Plattsburgh, and she will make our institution proud not only on the tennis court, but also in our community.”
Email Nick Topping at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com.
