Photo by: Kevin Snyder/MSU Athletics
Tagliente Enjoys Her First Taste Of College Tennis
April 28, 2022 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE – By the time Alessia Tagliente joined the Mississippi State women's tennis team in January, the Bulldogs had already experienced a full fall together.
In fact, Tagliente only had five days to practice with her new teammates before making her collegiate debut in the dual match opener against Jacksonville State.
"Anytime you add somebody in January it's always a very interesting proposition," said MSU associate head coach Sachin Kirtane. "Right from the start though, we could tell that she's a great kid. Everybody on the team liked her."
Not only did Tagliente win her first singles match, she started her career off 5-0. That sizzling start out of the gate gave the freshman from Turin, Italy plenty of confidence in her introduction to college tennis.
"It was unexpected," Tagliente said. "I just played my tennis and tried to do my best. I just try to enjoy every single match on the court. I was very nervous my first match, but after that my confidence got even better."
Tagliente went on to win 14 matches overall during her freshman campaign, including her first Southeastern Conference victory against LSU's Rania Azziz. She also made some adjustments and improvements to her tennis game along the way as well.
"I think that I've improved my serve," Tagliente said. "I worked with Daryl (Greenan) and 'Shaq' with my serve and it's getting better. I have a lot of things to improve for sure, but I'm trying to work on my personality when I play. Sometimes I need to be stronger and I'm working on that."
The future is certainly bright for Tagliente. She posted a 6-2 singles record against Southern Region opponents and was 7-3 at home this year. Â
"We're excited about her," Kirtane said. "I think she showed right away that she can compete at a really high level. She had a couple of losses to start the SEC season and that set her back some. But once she has a full fall under her and understanding the SEC and college tennis a little better is going to go a long way in her helping us."
Two of the things that impressed the coaching staff the most about Tagliente was her attitude and work ethic. The soft-spoken 20-year old goes about her business quietly and tries to make the most out of every practice and match.
"She's been unbelievable," Kirtane said. "She's been a coach's dream. If you ask her to do something, she implements it. There's no second guessing you or asking why."
A TASTE OF ITALY
Nearly five months into her initial experience in America, Tagliente is still learning to adapt to her new surroundings.
"Being in America my very first time, I was a little bit shocked because everything is different," Tagliente said. "The culture is very different. The thing that is the most difficult is the food. I miss my food in Italy. I think I just need some time to adapt to the situation and it'll be okay."
Tagliente has developed a taste for American fast food and lists burgers and cookies as some of her favorite things to order from those menus.
To try and bring more of a taste of Italy to Starkville, Tagliente occasionally teams up with fellow countryman and a member of the MSU men's tennis team, Davide Tortora, in the kitchen to try and create the culinary dishes of their homeland.
"We cook together sometimes," Tagliente said. "I really like to cook. It's one of my favorite things to do in my free time. I like to cook everything from pasta and pizza to desserts."
Meal times in the United States, however, are much different than they are in Italy. Tagliente is accustomed to eating much later in the day than lunch and supper are traditionally served in the U.S.
"The times that we go to lunch and dinner here might be at like 11 or six in the afternoon," Tagliente said. "In Italy, lunch is at like 1 p.m. and dinner is at 8:30 or nine. (When I first got here) I was confused why we were going to dinner that early."
ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS
Food isn't the only thing Tagliente has had to adjust to during her time in the States. The concept of college tennis was also foreign to her so she had to learn how to play as part of a team whenever she arrived at State back in January.
"It was a little bit different, but in a good way because I didn't expect the atmosphere to be like this," Tagliente said. "It was completely different than Italy. We didn't have anything like this in Italy where you played for a team. I really liked that and was surprised and impressed with what I experienced."
Although they are located nearly 5,000 miles apart, Tagliente has found several similarities between her hometown and Starkville. She has also grown quite fond of the Bulldogs' campus and amenities.
"Starkville is a little city and is kind of similar to my own town," Tagliente said. "I like the university and all of the facilities that we have. I like very much the atmosphere of being here."
Tagliente's first season of college tennis is in the books and she is close to wrapping up her first semester in the classroom. Those experiences have her eager for the future in Maroon and White, both on and off the court.
"It's really something I want in my life," Tagliente said. "It was a big change but something that I needed. Being a college student, I appreciate that because in Italy you cannot play and study at the same time. Here in the U.S., I have that opportunity and am very glad to be here and play for a college. It's a very special feeling."
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In fact, Tagliente only had five days to practice with her new teammates before making her collegiate debut in the dual match opener against Jacksonville State.
"Anytime you add somebody in January it's always a very interesting proposition," said MSU associate head coach Sachin Kirtane. "Right from the start though, we could tell that she's a great kid. Everybody on the team liked her."
Not only did Tagliente win her first singles match, she started her career off 5-0. That sizzling start out of the gate gave the freshman from Turin, Italy plenty of confidence in her introduction to college tennis.
"It was unexpected," Tagliente said. "I just played my tennis and tried to do my best. I just try to enjoy every single match on the court. I was very nervous my first match, but after that my confidence got even better."
Tagliente went on to win 14 matches overall during her freshman campaign, including her first Southeastern Conference victory against LSU's Rania Azziz. She also made some adjustments and improvements to her tennis game along the way as well.
"I think that I've improved my serve," Tagliente said. "I worked with Daryl (Greenan) and 'Shaq' with my serve and it's getting better. I have a lot of things to improve for sure, but I'm trying to work on my personality when I play. Sometimes I need to be stronger and I'm working on that."
The future is certainly bright for Tagliente. She posted a 6-2 singles record against Southern Region opponents and was 7-3 at home this year. Â
"We're excited about her," Kirtane said. "I think she showed right away that she can compete at a really high level. She had a couple of losses to start the SEC season and that set her back some. But once she has a full fall under her and understanding the SEC and college tennis a little better is going to go a long way in her helping us."
Two of the things that impressed the coaching staff the most about Tagliente was her attitude and work ethic. The soft-spoken 20-year old goes about her business quietly and tries to make the most out of every practice and match.
"She's been unbelievable," Kirtane said. "She's been a coach's dream. If you ask her to do something, she implements it. There's no second guessing you or asking why."
A TASTE OF ITALY
Nearly five months into her initial experience in America, Tagliente is still learning to adapt to her new surroundings.
"Being in America my very first time, I was a little bit shocked because everything is different," Tagliente said. "The culture is very different. The thing that is the most difficult is the food. I miss my food in Italy. I think I just need some time to adapt to the situation and it'll be okay."
Tagliente has developed a taste for American fast food and lists burgers and cookies as some of her favorite things to order from those menus.
To try and bring more of a taste of Italy to Starkville, Tagliente occasionally teams up with fellow countryman and a member of the MSU men's tennis team, Davide Tortora, in the kitchen to try and create the culinary dishes of their homeland.
"We cook together sometimes," Tagliente said. "I really like to cook. It's one of my favorite things to do in my free time. I like to cook everything from pasta and pizza to desserts."
Meal times in the United States, however, are much different than they are in Italy. Tagliente is accustomed to eating much later in the day than lunch and supper are traditionally served in the U.S.
"The times that we go to lunch and dinner here might be at like 11 or six in the afternoon," Tagliente said. "In Italy, lunch is at like 1 p.m. and dinner is at 8:30 or nine. (When I first got here) I was confused why we were going to dinner that early."
ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS
Food isn't the only thing Tagliente has had to adjust to during her time in the States. The concept of college tennis was also foreign to her so she had to learn how to play as part of a team whenever she arrived at State back in January.
"It was a little bit different, but in a good way because I didn't expect the atmosphere to be like this," Tagliente said. "It was completely different than Italy. We didn't have anything like this in Italy where you played for a team. I really liked that and was surprised and impressed with what I experienced."
Although they are located nearly 5,000 miles apart, Tagliente has found several similarities between her hometown and Starkville. She has also grown quite fond of the Bulldogs' campus and amenities.
"Starkville is a little city and is kind of similar to my own town," Tagliente said. "I like the university and all of the facilities that we have. I like very much the atmosphere of being here."
Tagliente's first season of college tennis is in the books and she is close to wrapping up her first semester in the classroom. Those experiences have her eager for the future in Maroon and White, both on and off the court.
"It's really something I want in my life," Tagliente said. "It was a big change but something that I needed. Being a college student, I appreciate that because in Italy you cannot play and study at the same time. Here in the U.S., I have that opportunity and am very glad to be here and play for a college. It's a very special feeling."
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