PROVO, Utah – BYU women's tennis sophomore Maddy Smith is looking forward to another season and building off her successes from her freshman year.
Her Love For Tennis
Smith has played tennis her whole life and was first introduced to the sport through her parents and sisters Gabby and Samantha. Her love for tennis didn't really spark until she was 14 when she started to win matches. Smith's competitive drive is one of the reasons she stuck with it and still loves tennis today.
Sisterhood
Smith's sister Gabby is an assistant coach for the BYU women's team, and their love for each other runs very deep.
"She's seven years older than me so she's always kind of hit with me and been some sort of a coach when I have come home or when she would come home from school," said Smith. "She's always helped coach me throughout my junior career and I look up to her. I want to learn from her."
Family is important to Smith, and one of the reasons why she has had a successful tennis career is because of Gabby's mentoring.
Journey to BYU
BYU was a school that Smith had always thought that she would end up at. Watching her sister Samantha play at BYU continued to drive her interest in being a Cougar someday.
The culture of BYU was something that Smith had sought out and was something that she wanted to be a part of. "I love just love the culture of BYU," said Smith. "I think it is a great education." Smith had always heard great things about BYU and when Samantha played for the Cougars, that pretty much sealed the deal.
Season Goals
Smith is looking forward to the season and hopes to help her team make a deep run in the WCC Tournament. She hopes to be stronger than she was her freshman year, and is striving to be the best player that she can be. One of the matches she has circled on her calendar is when BYU's in-state rival, the Utah Utes, make a visit to Provo on Mar. 11, 2023.