WPIAL Alum Q&A – Marlys Bridgham

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, October 2, 2017 | 10:57 PM

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Dating back to her freshman year at Pine-Richland, Marlys Bridgham proved to be a standout tennis player. Over the next four years, she was among the elite players at the high-school level. Now, she is in her final year of collegiate tennis, at the University of Dayton. She is this week’s featured athlete for the WPIAL Alum Q&A.

In 2010, Bridgham joined the Rams varsity, and excelled at both singles and doubles play. As a solo player, she took third in the Class 3A Section 2 tournament, and advanced to the WPIAL tournament, where she lost to Latrobe standout Stacia Kissell, 10-2. On the doubles side, she and Taylor Perz won the Section 2 tourney, and also won their WPIAL first-round match, 10-3. The duo fell in the second round, however, 10-7.

As a sophomore, Bridgham captured the Section 2 crown, the first of three straight individual section titles. In the WPIAL tournament, she fell in the opening round to Megan Adamo of Upper St. Clair, by the score of 10-4. In doubles, she joined forces with Laura Feger, and finished as section runners-up. In the WPIAL tournament, the Rams duo was bounced in the first round.

The following campaign, Bridgham won her first-round matchup in the WPIAL singles tournament, 10-4. She once again fell to Adamo, the eventual runner-up, 10-7 in the second round, however. In doubles play, her and Feger once again finished as section runners-up. They scored a first-round triumph, 10-1, in the WPIAL tournament, but were edged 10-8 in the second round.

Bridgham’s senior campaign established her among the very best in the entire state. First, she completed the three-peat of individual section titles. In the WPIAL tournament, she scored victories 10-1 and 10-0 in the first two rounds. In the semifinals, Bridgham bested Franklin Regional’s Natalia Perry 7-5, 6-0. In the 3A finals, though, the Rams’ star fell to Callie Frey of Mount Lebanon, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. After settling for the silver, Bridgham turned her focus to the PIAA tournament, and notched straight-set wins in the first round, quarterfinals and semifinals. With another title on the line, this time Bridgham secured gold, as she defeated Mihaela Codreanu 6-1, 6-4 for the PIAA crown. Most impressively, she never lost a set throughout the entire state tournament.

She continued her career at the University of Dayton, and immediately assumed the No. 1 singles role as a freshman. She recorded an individual mark of 12-12 in 2014-15, and finished 10-11 alongside Mandy Marchant in No. 1 doubles action. Bridgham’s performance earned her honors as Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team.

Bridgham’s sophomore campaign had similar results, as she finished 10-13 in singles action, again from the No. 1 spot. She also achieved a record of 11-11 in doubles play, once again earning first-team all-conference honors.

Last year, Bridgham faced an array of formidable opponents, and compiled a record of 3-15 from the No. 1 spot. Overall in singles action, she finished 7-19, and went 10-15 in doubles, playing from the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Academically, she was named the University of Dayton’s Female Presidential Scholar-Athlete Award Winner.

In her senior campaign, Bridgham has competed in both singles and doubles action at the Greater Cincinnati Intercollegiate Tennis Invitational and the Raider Invitational for the fall season. She and the Flyers will return to the court in January for the spring season.

Marlys took time from her schedule to answer questions about her leadership role, when she knew tennis would be her athletic future, and her hobbies away from the court.

Q: What is your greatest strength on the court?
A: My greatest strength on the court would be my ground strokes. I have always been most comfortable at the baseline, and using my endurance to grind out points against my opponents.

Q: What are the biggest adjustments between playing singles and doubles?
A: The biggest adjustment from singles to doubles is the constant communication between my partner and me. Considering singles is an individual game, it becomes a significant transition to rely on your partner and communicate constantly throughout the match to ensure your game plan is on point and you’re in understanding of who is hitting the next shot.

Q: Your win/loss record last year was not on par with your first two seasons. What was the reason, and what did you learn from the season?
A: I had a more defensive game my freshman and sophomore year, which often worked to my advantage. As I entered my junior year season, the competition become stronger and the girls I played had more aggressive games. I was forced to make adjustments accordingly and make my game stronger, as well, to keep up with the competition.

Q: Have you taken on a leadership role as a senior, and if so, what does that entail?
A: I became a captain my junior year and I have appreciated this leadership role since the beginning. I have a fantastic team of girls who are always open to growing their tennis game and strengthen our team dynamic. I believe the most effective form of leadership is by example. This entails mentally and physically excelling on the court and in the classroom.

Q: Unlike in high school, the college tennis season spans two semesters. What is key to performing well from start to finish?
A: The key to performing well in the fall and spring seasons is making sure to pace yourself, communicate with coach regarding your mental and physical health, and being there for your teammates or other athletes for support. We are fortunate enough to have plenty of academic and athletic resources at our disposal as student athletes. It is important to use those resources to ensure our success as we take on long seasons and countless hours on the court.

Q: What stood out about Dayton that led to your commitment?
A: Dayton’s small and strong community, caring and supportive academic/athletic staff, friendly student body, and beautiful atmosphere led to my easy decision to commit.

Q: What is your major and ideal future profession?
A: I am a mechanical engineering major. I have committed to a job in Pittsburgh after I graduate. I am beyond excited for this opportunity, and look forward to seeing where it takes me.

Q: What was your fondest memory from Pine-Richland?
A: My fondest memory at Pine Richland was winning the state title in singles tennis my senior year.

Q: Did you play any other sports, and did you always know that tennis would be your future athletically?
A: I was a swimmer before I started playing tennis at age 10. I pretty much knew tennis was going to be my sport from the beginning. I loved it immediately.

Q: What are your hobbies aside from tennis?
A: My hobbies outside of tennis include cooking, listening to music, bike riding, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.

Q: What is your favorite TV show, current or all-time?
A: My favorite TV show is Parks and Recreation.

Q: What is the best advice you have ever received?
A: The best advice I’ve ever received is that faith gets you through anything.

Tags: Dayton