Corrine Markovich likes to yell a lot.

“During matches, I scream and yell a lot,” Markovich said. “I’m pretty vocal out on the court.”

When I nervously met Markovich on the court during an especially warm April afternoon last week, that vocality was on full display as she wailed serve after serve across the net.

“I scream after every point I win – my freshman year, I would’ve never done any of that stuff like at all,” Markovich said. “The more I played in college, the more confidence it gave me, and my coaches back at home, they always tell me to be aggressive.”

Markovich has been serving on the court since coming to SU from Central Cambria High School in 2022, sitting in the number one singles spot for her three years on the team.

In her first ever match as a college player, Markovich remembers the "rude awakening” that came when she realized the intensity of being highly ranked at the start of her collegiate career.  

“I remember my first match, freshmen stuck at number one singles, hadn’t played a college match a day in [my] life, and I’m going up against a girl from Spain,” Markovich said. “I just got my butt whooped.” 

That experience on the receiving end of a dominant opponent has shaped how Markovich assesses pressure during high stakes-matches.

“After that, going into my matches, I don't really have that much pressure on me unless it's a match, like against a school that's not as good,” Markovich said. “Majority of the time, all the pressure’s on the opponent that I'm playing. I don't really let the pressure of things really affect me that much because at the end of the day it's, we're, we're playing tennis. And we're doing something that we love.”

This year, some of that pressure has shifted to the team, which is having its best season in 24 years. Markovich side stepped any claims of her being the cause for that success and highlighted the strength throughout the team.

“ I think it's like more of a dynamic of the team. Tennis is like an individual sport, but you need a strong lineup for your team to pull through on these matches to get to seven,” Markovich said.

“We're 8-11 right now, which it's the most we've won in 24 years. So it's exciting to see that the program is progressing in an upward direction,” Markovich said. “ We're executing points. We're, you know, not playing timid. We're going out there giving it our all.”

Markovich has been giving it her all for the last 16 years, since her mom, Stephanie, took her to a free tennis clinic when she was in second grade – and as she begins to face her final year as a Raider, Markovich plans to give back to the next generation of tennis stars.

“Back at home I'll help out with my old high school [and] coach at my local tennis center sometimes. I'm just trying to get as many young kids out there because especially in my hometown, there's not really that many young kids playing tennis,” Markovich said. “And that kind of makes me a little sad, you know, because it's a great sport and I want to make kids fall in love with it like I did.” 

Whether back home in Johnstown or here at SU, Markovich views every court she steps onto as an opportunity to get into the zone.

“Sometimes tennis makes me lose my mind, but for the most part, it’s the one place where I can come out here and forget about school and all my other responsibilities. I’ve been playing for 16 years, so it’s just someplace where I can cool down and calm myself.”

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