Women's Tennis | 10/19/2020 4:27:59 PM
Sophomore Kailey Reyes returns for her second season with the Alfred University women's tennis team in 2020-21. Reyes enjoyed a strong debut season for the Saxons in 2019-20, winning five doubles matches and three singles matches. Reyes, a native of Dallas, TX, is a standout in the classroom as well with a 3.67 grade-point average.
Kailey Reyes - Why I Play
Institution: Alfred University
Sport: Women's Tennis
Academic Major: Double major in English and Communications
GPA: 3.67
Class Year: Sophomore
Academic Honors/Clubs/Community Service Roles?
Dean’s list (Fall 2019, Spring 2020), SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) representative and Secretary and Staff Writer for the Fiat Lux Newspaper. My community service roles include working with the 6 Stones organization, helping Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD students receive free or reduced lunches, sort and restock clothing and food pantries for needing families, and volunteering to counsel kids from abandoned homes. I also volunteered/worked for First Euless Baptist Church and Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas during the holidays to send gifts to families around the world for low income households, including child services for single parent families.
What Have You Done During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Stay Active and What Are Some Positive Effects of the Pandemic You Have Experienced?
During the summer of 2020, I trained and continued to practice to the best of my ability. This included lots of drills, cardio, and match play to further keep my skill level at a high. Although COVID-19 has prevented my team and I from competing or having a Fall season, I gained some positive attributes from it, such as perseverance, motivation, and the ability to stay optimistic in a time of hardship.
What Role has your Sport(s) Played in your Personal Development?
Tennis has impacted my leadership, patience, focus, and mental abilities that influence me on and off the court. These qualities get applied to my classes, leadership roles on and off campus, as well as my communication and personal relationships with others.
At what age did you start playing your Sport and what made you stay with it? Did you play any other sports growing up?
Growing up, I played soccer, tennis, volleyball, and ran track and cross country. I was always very active and eager to try new things, however, it wasn’t until I was 13 when I decided to fully commit to tennis. Although I did continue to play soccer and run track, my love for tennis grew rapidly. During high school, I decided to fully focus my time to tennis because it made me the happiest and most fulfilled. My skill level increased the most with tennis, which further lead me wanting to stick with it.
Any Superstitions When It Comes to Pregame Rituals/Training?
One key superstition I have before a match is to never focus on the aspect of winning. Although winning is a goal, it is not the main motive of your sport. I continue to remind myself why I do what I do and how I want to be remembered. I strive to be the hardest worker, athlete, and teammate, so by reminding myself to enjoy and learn from the game, I have a greater, more positive outcome.
Why Did You Decide to Attend Alfred?
During my visit to Alfred University, I felt very welcomed by the tennis team, coaches, staff, students, and the overall community. I truly felt like it was a home away from home, where I could grow and prosper in the sport I love, while also balancing my academics and extra curriculars.
How has Playing Collegiately and in the Empire 8 Prepared You For Life After College?
Playing collegiate tennis has been nothing short of fun and rewarding. Although I enjoy playing, the training and practices are intense and consists of time, effort, energy, and hard work. These attributes contribute directly to my growth of character, motivation, and overall work ethic on and off the court. I strive to continue working hard to make it to the Empire 8’s during my Spring season, for this mindset will help me with the rest of my endeavors.
Favorite Athletic Memory from Your Time in College: My favorite athletic memory from college is the doubles match played against Brockport. My partner and I were down 3-6 and worked our way up to the win of 8-6, winning 5 games in a row. This match was particularly great because we pushed ourselves to overcome the negative thoughts, losing score, and the winning mindset. We simply focused and let everything else fade, allowing us the win. Another favorite memory of mine is making the Empire 8 Plays of the Week, showing a winning overhead point in a double match also against Brockport. It was rewarding seeing myself play well during my freshmen year.
Favorite Professional Athlete: Maria Sharapova
Favorite Movie: Pretty in Pink
Favorite TV Show: The Office
Last TV Show You Binge Watched: The Office
Favorite Food: Anything Italian (preferably spaghetti or ravioli)
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Dark chocolate
One Thing Most People Do Not Know About You: I can have a really thick Southern accent if I try. Thankfully, I am able to hide it well when I’m with my friends or in New York, in general.
Advice to Younger Student-Athletes on Why You Chose to Play a Collegiate Sport and Why Playing A Sport is So Important/Beneficial? There is nothing more rewarding than playing a sport collegiately. I am constantly learning new things from tennis, such as how to maintain mental peace and stability, as well as overall patience for myself and teammates. By possessing these characteristics, I have been able to improve on my leadership abilities, work ethic in my jobs and classes, but more so the confidence in myself to achieve my goals. It took a lot for me to get to this mindset and lifestyle, however, do not regret the time and effort it took to get here. I owe this all to tennis and playing collegiately. You never stop working for the things you want.
The Empire 8 Conference's “Why I Play” Series features a student-athlete from one of its member institutions who discusses devotion to its respective sport.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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