Poly Players With Carol Erickson

Carol Erickson has helped pull the Cal Poly women’s tennis team to an 11-9 record overall this season, with a 5-2 Big West record. She has a 19-8 individual record.

Erickson, a business junior, consistently helps lead the team to victory.

This season, Erickson was acknowledged for her play at the Northwest Regional Championships, where she advanced to the round of 32.

“Last year, I had the biggest win individually by beating the No. 60 ranked player at USC,” she said. She finished a team best in singles with a 16-8 record that season.

During her freshman year, Erickson played a crucial role in a match against the highly-ranked University of San Diego.

“The entire dual match came down to my match – and I came back from being down 3-0 in the third set and won,” Erickson said. “This was Cal Poly women’s tennis’ biggest win.”

Erickson earned All-Big-West honorable mention for her doubles play during that season alongside partner Sheila Lewis as the pair finished 12-5. She led the team with 40 victories and 16 losses.

“I feel very excited about these highlights,” Erickson said. “I work extremely hard, and I – could not have achieved any of this without the help of the coaches, my teammates and the constant support from my family.”

Erickson also enjoys the Big West Conference championships every year and spending time with the team, she said.

“My teammates and I are extremely close, and they definitely are my biggest highlight,” she said.

Although tennis has always been important to the Erickson family, because both her parents played professionally, Erickson did not start playing until age 10 – relatively late for the sport.

“The reason I started to play tennis was due to a trip to go see Wimbledon when I was 10 years old,” Erickson said. “I fell in love with the game there and knew I wanted to play.”

“The first match I saw at Wimbledon lasted six hours, and I did not flinch from my seat one time.”

She said her parents never pressured her to play, but helped her considerably when she first become interested in the game.

“I am also a very competitive person and love the challenge that tennis presents me with,” she said

Balancing tennis and school can prove quite challenging, though Erickson does not mind juggling both.

“It is very difficult to balance school and tennis, especially when we are traveling so much,” Erickson said. “But then again, I could not imagine not having both – at the same time. It helps me manage my time better and keeps me busy.”

Additionally, Erickson teaches children tennis.

Erickson played four years of varsity tennis at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, where she and her team won four CIF championships. During her junior and senior years, Erickson was a finalist in the Individual CIF championships. She was player of the year for the Falcons in 2001 and 2002.

Erickson is working on a concentration in finance and hopes to become an investment banker or financial adviser. She is a member of the Financial Management Association at Cal Poly. She enjoys history, old movies and is a huge New York Yankees fan.

Although the season is over with the Mustangs falling to UC Irvine in the semfinals at the Big West Championships over the weekend, Erickson has a year of eligibility remaining and could be a force next season for the Mustangs.