After talking to sophomore tennis player Ashlee Boles, one can feel her passion for tennis and animals.
At first a softball player, Boles switched over to tennis after wanting to play a more individual sport. Her dad, Gregg Boles, then became her tennis coach.
“My dad started coaching me,” Boles said. “My sister took lessons too, it was a big family thing.”
Boles grew up in a family of Tennessee fans, saying there are pictures of her and her sister dressed up with UT pom poms. Being a Vol fan from a young age lead Boles to want to play tennis at Tennessee. Her fondest tennis memory is a phone call from co-head coach Mike Patrick.
“Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to play here,” Boles said. “Getting the call from coach Mike saying, ‘What is your shoe size?’ and that was his way of saying you are on the team. That is honestly something I will never forget because I have loved orange my whole life.”
Her biggest goal for her time at UT is to simply be the best she can be. She opined that Murfreesboro isn’t much of a tennis area, thus she didn’t have all of the facilities she now has. At Tennessee, she has the opportunity to train every day, a strength coach, indoor facilities and two coaches who will do anything for her. According to Boles, all of these privileges give her the chance to go out and prove herself.
Boles picked up her team’s lone point against Michigan with a win over Sara Remynse for what was then her fourth of the season. Co-head coach Sonia Hahn-Patrick believes it is her love for Tennessee that has led her to success this season.
“When she plays she tries to play within herself,” Patrick said. “She competes really hard just like everyone else, and I think the first couple wins have really boosted her confidence. She would live and die for this team and for Tennessee, and I think when she goes onto the court, she carries that with her.”
Her biggest challenge is balancing the life of a student-athlete with school work, all while attempting to have a social life.
“Time management because I’m in a hard major and tennis is just as important as academics,” Boles said. “Veterinary school is just as competitive, so just being able to balance both tennis and my studies and kind of have a social life if I can.
“If not, my organic book will be my best friend. That’s perfectly fine, but time management for sure is the biggest challenge.”
Boles’ sister is her role model and helps her with her time management. Her sister plays for the club tennis team, and watching her balance her studies with a commitment to the club team helps Boles deal with her own obligations to the tennis team and her studies. Back home, her parents push her to do the best she can because they recognize her potential.
“The support behind my back helps a lot,” Boles said.
Boles’ passion for animals also led her to Rocky Top. Boles loves the “big cats.” Lions, leopards, and cheetahs, but she especially loves tigers.
Boles also shares her love for animals with her tennis coach. Patrick has two rescue dogs that are certified therapy dogs and takes them once a week to the UT Medical Center to visit cancer patients. Both Patrick and Boles work with Humans and Animals Bonding in Tennessee, a program done through Tennessee’s veterinary school.
“We take her dogs, which are certified therapy dogs,” Boles said. “We visit the cancer and floor patients, so I look forward to that every week.”
Her future plans are to attend veterinary school here at Tennessee.
“Hopefully vet school, but we will see,” Boles said. “My No. 1 choice is veterinary school here and then PA school or physical therapy, but I definitely want to do something along the medical field.”
