PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Chloe Presloid thought the notion was crazy.
Play tennis? Really?
Presloid preferred a much different kind of court – the basketball one – at Punxsutawney Area High School, where she was one of the best players around.
Playing tennis was never really a thought.
But one of her best friends was relentless. She worked on Presloid, trying to convince her to give tennis a try before her freshman yea.
Presloid balked. Then, suddenly, she finally gave in.
Little did she know at the time it was the first step on an unexpected odyssey in a sport she never thought she would play.
Punxsutawney Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
Finally, as a senior, Presloid achieved one of her major goals by winning the District 9 Class 2A singles championship on Thursday in DuBois.
It was a culmination of years of hard work, a lot of sweat and hours and honor toiling to hone skills that usually take a decade to refine.
But she did it in less than half that.
“It means so much to me to win this season,” Presloid said. “I was so close last year, so my goal for this season was to work hard and focus on my overall game.”
Presloid did just that.
Presloid reached the district final last season, but ran into a buzzsaw in St. Marys’ Davan Lion, who dominated on the way to a 6-0, 6-0 victory.
She wasn’t going to relive that sinking feeling again.
That experience, though, taught Presloid a great deal — about herself, her game and how to channel that profound disappointment.
So she went to work, juggling tennis with the extensive time demands basketball places on her.
“Balancing basketball and tennis was tough this past summer because I had a very busy AAU season up until August,” Presloid said. “I found time in between tournaments to work on my tennis game. I’m still finding time to do open gyms for basketball twice a week while doing tennis full time right now.”
That dedication has paid off.
Presloid had to win an intense semifinal match against Lindsey Kerlin of Clearfield, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, to reach the final again.
There she squared off against another Clearfield player, Peyton Reese, and dispatched her, 6-0, 6-1, for the championship.
Presloid got it done thanks to a powerful serve. It’s been her biggest weapon since she started playing.
“I try to focus on winning as many points as I can with that,” Presloid said. “My grandpa has worked with me quite a bit on technique and it has really helped.”
Presloid will move on to compete in the PIAA Class 2A singles tournament in Hershey on Nov. 4 and 5.
Not long after that, it will be time for her to focus again on her senior season of basketball at Punxsutawney, which lost last season to Redbank Valley in the Class 3A title game, ending an eight-year run as D9 champs.
Presloid is already thinking redemption in that sport as well this winter.
Last year, she was again one of the top players in the district, averaging 11.2 points per game as a point guard/shooting guard.
But it was her defense that earned her the most raves. And accolades. She was named the D9 League’s defensive MVP.
For now, though, Presloid is working to have a strong showing on the tennis court in Hershey.
“I try to spend as much time as I can on tennis,” Presloid said. “If we miss a few practices through the week due to bad weather, I always find time on the weekends to make up that work.”
Punxsutawney Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
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