Corley Living Up to Hype in First Year
10/13/2016 | Women's Tennis
Paris Corley came to the University of Arizona this fall as a highly touted recruit, excited to take on the top-notch tennis talent in the Pac-12.
But here's a little secret about the Grants, New Mexico product: Tennis didn't come naturally to the athlete who now makes playing look effortless.
"When I first started playing, I had no idea about tennis," said Corley, who was ranked as the 40th best recruit in the country by tennisrecruiting.net and the top recruit in New Mexico. "No one in my family played… I actually started playing with my left hand, and I'm a righty, so I had absolutely no idea how to play."
While Corley has relied on her coaches to develop her technical skills on the court, she has relied on her family to provide the off-court inspiration.
"They have given up so much for me, they have made a lot of sacrifices," Corley said. "I moved to Phoenix to train for the past two years, so they definitely inspire and motivate me."
And it's not just her parents. Corley's brother, Cassius, plays football at New Mexico State.
"My brother has also been a really big inspiration, he pushes me to reach my fullest potential," she said.
While her family motivates her to succeed, Corley's tennis career has of course seen some adversity.
Her proudest on-court accomplishment to date came in February in Guatemala when she competed in the Copa Universidad Galileo and won the tournament, winning five matches in six days. Making it so special was the fact that it was Corley's first tournament since returning from a knee injury. She defeated Jimena Rodriguez-Benito 6-1, 6-2 in the finals.
"I had just came back from a pretty big knee injury," Corley recalled. "Getting back mentally and physically, playing in my first tournament of the year, and winning that tournament, was really big for me."
After bouncing back from that injury, she not only won a tournament, but also landed a scholarship to Arizona. When going through the recruiting process, she choose Arizona because of the support she felt from everyone in the program.
"When I first came here I felt a really strong connection to the girls and the coaches," Corley said. "I really like Arizona's program overall, they really care about their players individually, and they want us to succeed. The support they give their athletes was really big for me."
Corley isn't the only newcomer on the team this year, they have four other new players as well, three freshman and one junior transfer.
When talking about all the incoming freshmen mixing with the returners, Corley said: "I've really enjoyed the environment, all the girls are great. I've been playing doubles with Lauren [Marker], she's a senior and has a alot of experience. Just being around everyone has been great".
While Corley may only be a freshman, she already has one tournament under her belt and experienced success in both singles and doubles. In that tournament, the Battle at the Bay, Corley and Marker teamed up to take first place in doubles. In singles, Corley lost in the finals, with the loss actually coming to her doubles partner, Marker. It was a good tournament for the Wildcats.
"I was really nervous in the beginning because it was my first college tennis match and first tournament," Corley said. "But it was great being able to play doubles with Lauren [Marker], she really motivated me."
Corley and the Cats will travel to the Sonoma State University Fall Invitational this weekend, before ITA Regionals next weekend.
