By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Her first season on the Bridgewater State University women's tennis team was spent on the sideline recovering from surgery.

Ava Alves (Taunton, Mass.) had her left ankle operated on in September 2024, just as the Bears' season was getting under way, and a long recovery process followed for the BSU freshman.

Alves spent three months in a cast and a boot, underwent months of physical therapy and wasn't cleared for a return to tennis until the end of this past July.

"It was," said Alves, "very frustrating. I've been playing sports all my life. Not playing and having to watch all the time was getting annoying."

Alves had just a couple of weeks to play tennis again this summer before reporting to BSU's training camp in August, and just a couple of weeks after that to get ready for the 2025 season with the team.

"It wasn't a lot of time," said Alves, "but it was enough time so I was comfortable when we started."

Alves quickly shook off whatever rust there may have been and she has excelled at the start of her sophomore season this fall.

Playing Nos. 5 and 6 singles, Alves is off to a 7-1 start overall and 4-0 in the Little East Conference in her collegiate debut season. Alves has won six straight matches.

Her most recent victory came Tuesday when the Bears defeated UMass Boston, 4-3, ending the Beacons' 26-match Little East winning streak. Alves won over Shreya Saravana Rakshana (Bengaluru, India), 6-4, 6-0, at No. 5 singles.

"I knew when she was coming in she would be kind of a diamond in the rough," said Bears coach David Purpura, a teacher at Taunton High School who knew Alves there. "She is one of our toughest competitors.

"She's fast and athletic, all the things you want in a D-3 athlete. She's had to put in the work on a technical side, which she did. I give her all the credit in the world."

Alves played both soccer and tennis at Taunton High and was bothered as a junior and senior by a nagging ankle ailment.

The injury persisted when she arrived at BSU last year, and tests revealed that surgery was needed to correct the problem.

"It got to a point where I couldn't ignore it any more," said Alves.

Alves is 4-1 playing at No. 6 singles and 3-0 at No. 5 singles for BSU (5-4 overall, 3-1 Little East).

After a stellar career at Taunton High playing Nos. 2 and 3 singles, Alves said the surgery has helped her become a better tennis player.

"I feel a lot better," said Alves. "I'm able to move a lot better than I was before.

"Before, I struggled to sprint. I can sprint a lot better without being in pain now. Before, I couldn't make it through a match without limping and now I don't limp at all."

Alves' lone loss came against Gabrielle Petroniro of Roger Williams on Sept. 4 in the second match of the season.

While sitting in a chair on the sideline last season, Alves started working on her tennis swing even as she was still in a boot.

"She was in a boot and developed a forehand," said Purpura. "She was learning the right grip, swinging 1,000 times before she could even walk around. She improved her technique and it really paid off."

Said Alves, "I've learned how to hit better. I've been learning mechanics. I would stand still last year, swing a racket just to get the mechanics down and improve my form while I was out.

"It feels really good to win, especially coming off an injury."

Alves began playing soccer at a young age and didn't become involved with tennis until her freshman year at Taunton High.

"It was a lot of fun, a lot more than I thought it would be," said Alves of tennis. "It was competitive."

Alves was originally going to play soccer at BSU but changed her mind at the last minute and joined the tennis team.

"I wanted a change," said Alves. "I've been playing soccer my entire life. I thought it was a good opportunity to do something different."

Alves, whose brother Drew is a member of the Bears men's track & field team, said she misses soccer and still plays pickup games, but tennis is where her focus is now.

A film and video production major, Alves would like to direct movies.

She makes videos every day, including short films and silent films, shoots wedding videos and she did recap videos about her soccer team in high school.

At Taunton High, she worked for the school TV network and had an internship at the city's local access network. Alves is a member of the BSU film society club.

The tennis season has four dual matches left before the Little East tournament, and Alves hopes to keep her winning ways going.

"I've surprised myself a lot," said Alves. "I didn't think I'd be doing this well. It's really nice that this is the outcome of the surgery.

"It was brutal last year. But I showed up at every game and got to experience it without playing. Now it's nice that I can help get our team wins."