Paige Cornelius and Richie Francois were only sophomores when they advanced to the Division I state tournament, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished by anyone on New Albany High School’s girls tennis team in five years. The students, now heading into their junior year of high school, are both passionate about their sport and the upcoming prospects for the new season.
Cornelius has been playing tennis since she was three and her mother saw a poster advertising group lessons at a local court. She has been playing ever since, and is also involved in field hockey coaching younger kids.
The tournament where the pair finished second was nerve-wracking, Cornelius says, but full of excitement, support and encouragement.
“It was a super cool experience,” she says. “I had so many of my friends there and my team was super supportive. A lot of them made the trip all the way down to Cincinnati, which was awesome for both Richie and I.”
For Francois, tennis is a family affair. Her father is a coach, all of her siblings have played and she herself has been playing for over a decade. She also takes inspiration from her family’s roots in Haiti.
“It’s always been a dream for me to push myself,” she says. “When I was younger, I always said I wanted to be a tennis professional.”
Though Francois always plays to win, dedication and effort are the most important components to her, she says.
“When I work really hard to win a match and I go for every ball, even if I don’t win, it’s still a good experience because I tried really hard,” Francois says.
Playing in the tournament was a new experience for Cornelius and Francois, and they hope to continue playing and further develop their skills.
“Our goal this year is to make it further, still have fun and make our coaches, school, teammates and ourselves proud,” Francois says.
Francois aims to continue pursuing an athletic career in tennis, planning to play in college and eventually go pro. Paige hopes to play field hockey in college, and play tennis throughout the rest of high school.
As the new tennis season begins, both girls will have to train hard, but luckily, they have the support of their community to keep them going.
“I love being competitive, I love sports,” Cornelius says. “But I like even better that I can cheer on the people next to me and I can be a leader on my team. Honestly, just playing for the people on the court next to me is the reason I like to play.”
Andrea Paolucci is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback Welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
