University of San Francisco Athletics

University of San Francisco women's tennis player Emily Maxfield has been playing tennis since she was five years old. Maxfield was born and raised in Murrieta, Calif. where her father, Dave Maxfield, put down roots that created a lifelong bond between himself, Emily and tennis.

"When I was five years old, I would always remember my dad playing tennis with his friends. He would sit me on the court and I would watch and play with the ball all the time," said Maxfield.

When she was old enough to compete, nothing stopped Emily from pursuing her dream of being a tennis competitor. She was fascinated by tennis as a five-year-old and knew that she planned on pursuing the sport into adulthood.

"My dad had a passion for teaching me and watching me get better. He enjoyed it. We would always go out on the high school court, playing and hitting for hours. He used to feed me balls and I would just get better. It wasn't a chore or a job, I just really enjoyed it," said Maxfield.

Her self-discipline to train hard and compete daily became a part of her routine. However, it was at age 10 when Emily's parents sat her down and came to an agreement that tennis was a key to her future success. Her parents provided a game plan to encourage Emily to get to the next level and laid out multiple plans to build a foundation for her college career.

Emily began playing for Advantage Tennis Academy in Irvine, Calif, a high-level tennis academy. At 15-years old, Maxfield knew she lived a more rigorous lifestyle than any average young girl by sacrificing her social life to play tennis and challenge herself to do her job at the best of her ability. 

The Academy ensured that Emily would spend 25 hours a week training on top of 10 hours a week in the classroom with an one-on-one instructor. Emily was up from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with back-to-back hours of early morning workouts and schooling, followed by yoga or a gym workout. By the time the day was over, Emily focused on homework assignments and was strictly in bed by 10 p.m. with no cell phone use or WiFi. Emily repeated this tentative schedule for her entire freshman and sophomore years of high school. 

"The most difficult part about this entire process was the academics. Learning by myself and motivating myself to keep studying and working towards my goal of going to a Division 1 University wasn't easy. It was my job to make sure I was at the same academic level as everyone else and not falling behind," said Maxfield.

During her junior year Emily decided to spend a semester at Murrieta High School. With just a short period of time as a Nighthawk, Emily earned Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player in Riverside county after putting up an unstoppable 55-1 singles record in the No. 1 position. 

After her only semester with Murrieta, Emily was determined to spend the rest of her high school career homeschooled in order to keep up constant personal training until she was accepted into a D1 University. She spent a year and a half traveling to a number of tournaments in South America, Peru, and larger competitions in Florida while also focusing on her studies. 

"It is rewarding to be able to compete, seeing the results, and seeing myself get better over the years. Knowing what I need to do to get to the next level and actually having the courage and sacrifice to get it done," said Maxfield.

Emily's hard work and dedication over the years led her to USF, where the junior is currently setting a program record with a career-high and undefeated 11-0 singles record at No. 2. 

"I feel like I have improved so much over the years because my dad put it in my mind to never give up. He never babied me: it was tough love," recalled Maxfield.

Her undefeated record is a staple point in the USF women's tennis program. With the support and persevering attitude her teammates and coaches bring to every practice and match, Emily finds no reason to settle. "It is a great accomplishment, but I am not settling. I am going to keep battling. I know what I need to do, especially with Peter (Bartlett) being there and helping me get better," said Maxfield.

"My dad always said I can do anything I set my mind to, all I have to do is train harder. That is why I feel like I am successful with the 11-0 record is because he always taught me to be strong no matter what," said Maxfield.

Last week, Emily continued her torrid start in the No. 2 spot after dominating over Utah State, 6-1, 6-2 and Nevada 6-3, 7-5. 

"Emily has done a great job this season and I feel she has shown a lot of growth and maturity. She's been playing really efficient matches and it's great to see her start the season with such confidence. This has helped our team tremendously. As we head to the back end of the season and conference play we hope she can continue to battle each match she plays to help our team reach their goals this season," said head coach Peter Bartlett.

San Francisco begins conference action versus East Bay rivals Pacific and Saint Mary's on Friday and Saturday at the Olympic Club.