LSU senior tennis player Ella Taylor isn’t your usual Brit.
She doesn’t drink tea, nor does she play the typical
British style of tennis. Even her accent changed over the course of her three and a half years in Baton Rouge, and, occasionally, she catches herself singing along to the Star Spangled Banner before matches start.
Now, the Hampshire, England native enters her final season as a Tiger more American and more skilled than ever.
“There’s no one who has more of a will to prepare for her matches than Ella,” said LSU coach Julia Sell. “Her progression in the last four years has been so incredible because she is so dedicated to being the best she can be.”
After finishing her junior year with the best overall, dual match and Southeastern Conference records of her career, Sell is happy to see another breakout year from the team’s only graduating European.
Taylor hopes to “go out with a bang” after spending her summer making
technical changes that contributed to her successful preseason and continuously growing confidence.
“I have a tattoo that says “Believe” on my hip,”
Taylor said. “My mom always told me the one thing that holds me back is that I’m not confident enough in myself and my game. So, that’s a way to remind myself to always believe in myself in whatever it is. It seems to have helped.”
Four matches into the 2016 season, Taylor has yet to lose a dual match and was a crucial factor in helping the Lady Tigers advance to the USTA/ITA Indoor Championships by defeating Georgia Tech senior Megan Kurey and junior Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer, 7-5, in a doubles match with LSU junior Skylar Holloway.
Although Sell said none of the doubles lineups arecompletely set, Taylor and Holloway have seen much success when sharing the court.
“She calms me down,” Holloway said. “We know each other so well by know. I can just give her a look and she already knows what I’m thinking. It’s just nice to have somebody out there like her.”
Professional aspirations power Taylor’s competitiveness. While she looks forward to going back to Europe with no regrets after giving her all for the Lady Tigers, she considering giving crawfish another chance before her bags are packed.
Although Taylor has much to look forward to, her focus lies on achieving the team’s goals of this season, which after a No. 21 preseason ranking, are set higher than ever.
“Last year we made the semis of the SEC tournament,” Taylor said. “This year, I believe we can go one step further and make it to finals. I think we’re one of the best teams in the SEC. We’re definitely the fittest, fight the hardest and have all the talent, [No.] 1 through [No.] 7.”