Shelby Anderson’s tennis game is heading south.
That’s a good thing, by the way.
The 19-year-old Newmarket resident will attend Anderson University in South Carolina, on a combined athletic and academic scholarship in August where she will join the Trojans squad, a member of Conference Carolinas.
Anderson, who accepted the package to the Division II school in mid-June, is one of three Newmarket Tennis Club members heading to American schools in August.
NTC clubmate Patricio Calderon of Newmarket will compete for Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Another teammate, Evan McGill, will play for at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“We all just love playing tennis,” said Anderson, a graduate of Huron Heights Secondary School.
“For me, this was an option and I just thought I would go for it.
“It’s a good opportunity to go to school somewhere to get an education and play tennis.”
Anderson, who plans to study interior design, anticipates the chance to play tennis on a daily basis as an opportunity to develop her game.
“I think I serve well and will work on coming to the net and follow the short ball rather than sitting back on the baseline.
“I think I’m focused a little more now because I’m going off to play at school.”
She has also seen friends from the Newmarket club — Brittany Telford and Kevin Butler — take the NCAA route and noticed the improvement in their play. It sparked her interest in taking the same path.
“They have improved a lot,” said Anderson, who plays for the NTC’s Major mixed and women’s teams. “I think you get a chance to play so much. You learn and improve by playing every day.
“Everyone improves at a different rate. I think I’m still improving.”
After graduating from Huron Heights, where she competed in the OFSAA festival high school tennis championships for four straight years, Anderson did not attend school last year, opting instead to sort through her options.
“The option has always been there,” said Anderson, who had planned to attend college in Ontario next year. “After I graduated I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do so I just worked toward a scholarship.”
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