Allison DaSilva found herself running track in middle school, but by the time she entered high school, the Sutton native was looking to put running behind her and try something new. The incoming freshman wanted to switch things up while still staying active and having a couple of older friends playing tennis, she decided to give it a shot.

“I had been involved in some tennis camps when I was in elementary school, but nothing serious,” she said. “I knew coming in as a freshman the numbers were low so there wouldn’t be any cuts, but I was still very nervous. I could hit the ball over the net, but I was not good by any means.”

As a freshman on the varsity squad she was there primarily to learn the game of tennis and improve upon her skills. She found out quickly that she was pretty much in the dark on the tennis court and needed to learn about the game if she were to ever play in a starting role for the Sutton Suzies.

“My first match was definitely a learning experience, it was tough and I didn’t even know how to score,” DaSilva said. “After that I went home and started viewing YouTube videos to learn about scoring and to pick up some pointers.”

Following her freshman campaign she worked on hitting the ball and building up her skills. That summer she would work with some friends on the team to get her ready for her sophomore season. As the tennis season began in the spring of her sophomore year she found she was going to start for the team as the third singles player. At the time Sutton already had two established doubles teams so she found her way into third singles, which she believes was for the better.

“Playing third singles was better for me as it allowed me to figure things out on the court myself, while not hurting anyone else by playing doubles,” she said.

“She’s a natural athlete and plays field hockey as well,” Sutton girls tennis Coach Mike Zagame said. “Once on the team she began learning from the girls ahead of her and how to be part of a strong team. She consistently practiced to get better and became a backboard on the courts outlasting her opponents.”

As she and her game began to grow as a tennis player she started to realize that tennis could become something in her future, so she began taking tennis lessons. Her junior year she was moved up to second singles, something that originally terrified DaSilva as she felt that she wasn’t good enough and would get destroyed on the courts. Although the-then junior was scared about the season she managed to put her fears behind her and put forth a phenomenal year going 17-4 as a second singles player. DaSilva was also named the Dual Valley Conference Player of the Year. 

In addition to being named DCV Player of the Year DaSilva has earned numerous awards while playing on the tennis courts for Sutton.

“As a freshman she was Rookie of the Year, won the sportsmanship award during her sophomore year and the Hustle and Drive award as a junior, “ Zagame said. “As a field hockey player she has also won the sportsmanship award, which speaks volumes of her character.”

Now as she enters her senior season with the Sutton racketeers she has once again been elevated and will play as the team’s number one singles player. With the promotion she is once again somewhat scared to take upon the best tennis players but finds herself much more confident than the past.

“I will be going up against the other team’s top players, but I believe that my skills are capable of competing with those good players,” she said. “I may struggle at times, but you can’t win them all; I’ll be happy just to stay close to them and fight.”

This year DaSilva was once again named a captain, but she feels just because she has a title it doesn’t mean that she is above anyone else. According to the senior, everyone on the team is on the same level; she’s just there to support others as a captain. 

“She is not a loud or over the top type of captain,” the Sutton coach said. “She teaches by example and the kids feed into her play and energy and she definitely works hard for the benefit of the team.”

As she and her Suzie teammates take part in her final high school season, DaSilva is hoping that the team can once again make it into the State Tournament while going further than last year, when they were the 10th seed in the Division 4 Tournament. 

Individually the senior is looking to put up winning numbers while improving her speed and accuracy with her serving. Having had lessons she feels that she doesn’t double fault as much since she first began playing.

Upon saying goodbye to Sutton High School DaSilva is looking to go to a big university where she plans on playing both tennis and field hockey on the club level.