Feature Friday: An Unexpected Mission for Two

Senior women's tennis player Allyson Hayley was in seventh grade when she first met Army West Point's head women's tennis coach Paul Peck. Peck came down to Hayley's hometown of The Woodlands, Texas, to recruit her older sister, Abby, to come play tennis at West Point.

After giving a verbal commitment to Coach Peck, Abby was diagnosed with a medical condition that prevented her from attending the world's preeminent leader development institution. Even though Peck was unable to get Abby in to the academy, it allowed him the chance to get to know the Allyson and the Hayleys through the recruiting process.

"I got to know the family when I was recruiting her older sister, Abby," said Peck. "I really recruited her twice. I was recruiting her to come to West Point directly as well as when she wanted to reapply after she went off to college. Even though we weren't able to get her a waiver and get her in to West Point, I was able to get to know the family very well during that time."

Peck recruits heavily out of the Lone Star State and was able to meet the family at a number of different events when his focus shifted to getting Allyson onto his team.

"During the recruiting process, I did home visits with them and got to know the family pretty well," Peck remarked. "They're a very close-knit family who are fun to talk with. We built up a good rapport. I think her mom had some initial concerns, but when they came on Abby's official visit we were able to win her over."

At the time, Allyson did not think that West Point was the right place for her. She didn't really know much about serving in the military, and was not interested in learning about it.

"I was really reluctant to talk to him," she admitted. "I didn't think that this place was a good fit for me at the time, but I also didn't know much about West Point. When I was in high school, I was a 'my way or the highway' type of person, so I wasn't really the typical military child or prospective cadet at all."

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Coach Peck didn't give up on Allyson despite her initial feelings about West Point.

"He really kept in contact during my junior year, mainly at tournaments," said Allyson. "He did a lot of recruiting in Texas and knew my family pretty well by that point, so every time he would recruit in my area he would come by my house. Even then, I didn't think I would be that interested."

That interest would not come until the beginning of Allyson's senior year of high school in 2012-13. After coming up for an official visit in September, Allyson quickly changed her mind and verbally committed to play for Peck.

"I came up on a visit in September of 2012 and verbally committed within two weeks," explained Allyson. "That was the only official visit I took. I really liked the culture here when I came on my visit. I think I just needed a little structure in my life at that time, and West Point provided that for me. My parents were really pushing me this way. I was the type of person who wouldn't go to class very much if it wasn't mandatory. Coming here was quite the transformation. I grew up a lot when I came here."

Peck was happily surprised when he received Allyson's verbal commitment to play tennis at Army.

"She had shown no interest in wanting to come to West Point, even when we were recruiting Abby," Peck said. "But her parents were able to convince her to come on a visit and check it out. I think that's what sold it. She was able to come and meet the players and saw all of the opportunities that were in front of her."

Having gone through this process once before, Allyson's parents wanted to check off all of the boxes before getting too excited about having one of their children attend West Point. Her medical clearance form came through early in Allyson's senior year, so there were no issues with her application.

She was going to attend the United States Military Academy and play tennis for Coach Peck.

"My parents both really like the sense of tradition and the conservative aspect of having one of their kids serve in the military," Allyson expressed. "I'm the first one of their children who will serve, and they're really supportive of the Army."

Allyson's parents knew she would be safe here. They already knew Coach Peck, so they were assured that Allyson would be in good hands on the court, and also that West Point would help her mature as a person.

"I think Abby was a little jealous of me when she first found out I was accepted because attending West Point was something she really wanted to do," added Allyson. "She has been one of my biggest supporters over the last four years. Abby and I were the only ones in our family who played tennis growing up. We've been playing our whole lives. Had she gone here, I think it would have sealed the deal for me even sooner. If she was at West Point, I would have followed her here without a doubt."

When she can, Allyson has kept in touch with her sister throughout her time at West Point. Allyson believes that Abby is enjoying the West Point experience through all of her tennis stories.

"I feel like, at times, I'm here for both of us," Allyson described. "Out of everyone in my family, Abby stays on me about what I'm doing and is very interested in the military aspect. She thinks it's really phenomenal and is very inquisitive. When I was in BEAST, she wrote me a letter every single day. She even dated them so I knew what order they were supposed to go in."

Like most first-year college students, the majority of that communication came during her freshman year as she adjusted to life away from home. Jamila Paul and Carley Riney, a pair of Texas natives, had gone through the recruitment process with Abby and were seniors when Allyson was a freshman. They both knew Abby pretty well and kept in touch with her so she was able to keep tabs on Allyson and make sure she was keeping up with everything throughout her first year.

Over her four years at Army, Allyson has faced her fair share of obstacles that tested her strength both mentally and physically. The first challenge came during the fall season of her sophomore season when she got a scare on the court.

"My yuck year I had mono," explained Allyson. "We didn't find out until I was playing at the beginning of the fall season, and I passed out twice on the court within a month. It was crazy. One time it was during running drills and the other was while I was hitting, and I just passed out."

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It became scary for Allyson because she was going to all of these medical appointments and they thought it was a neurological issue because she was always getting horrible migraines.

"I didn't really play much because of that issue, and that gave me pretty low expectations coming into the spring season. However, I was able to have my best year on the count and started in nearly every match. I had the most wins of my career and the most on the team, so that was awesome to be able to rebound after a scare like that."

The following year was not any easier for Allyson, but the strength and maturity she gained from being at Army allowed her to power through any challenges that were thrown her way and evolve into the leader she is today.

"My cow year was really tough for me," Allyson portrayed. "I actually had to leave the academy for a little while because I was dealing with a lot. It was just one thing after another. Tennis wasn't a priority for me at that time. I still wanted to play, but I just wasn't able to devote as much time and effort as I wanted to the team. It was really hard for me."

When she came back to West Point this year, Allyson rekindled the passion for the sport she knew since she was a little girl and was really fired up for her final season. Not only has Allyson returned to the sport she loves and is having more fun on the court than she ever has, but her teammates voted her into one of the leadership positions on the team.

Allyson was voted unanimously as a team captain by her teammates, along with fellow Texan Nancy Porter. This was an awesome feeling for Allyson. Not only was she able to demonstrate the leadership skills and maturity she has gained since her Reception Day, but she was able to share this distinction with one of her closest friends.

Porter and Allyson grew up playing tennis together since they were 11 years old and were familiar with each other, despite living more than eight hours apart. Porter took her official visit one week after Allyson was on post and sent her verbal commitment to Peck within a week of when Allyson did.

"We both knew during first semester of our senior year that we were coming here, so we became really close friends and prepared to come to West Point together," Allyson reminisced. "We have a great working relationship this season as captains because of that friendship."

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With such an individualized sport as tennis, the concept of teamwork can get lost pretty easily. Being a captain for Army as a senior has allowed Allyson to embrace the fact that there is a certain dynamic to being a member of a tennis team.

"It has made me more cognizant of what my teammates do every day and really appreciate the value of teamwork," Allyson said. "I never played team tennis growing up except for a little bit in high school, but that's nowhere near the dynamic of this group. Being captain has definitely opened my eyes to not just look out for myself, but also for the other girls on the team. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to be one of the captains, especially at a place like West Point. I'm so appreciative of it and wouldn't trade my experiences over the past four years for anything."

The levels of maturity and strength Allyson has gained from her experiences on the banks of the Hudson are noticed by many of the people who interact with her every day.

"I've seen a great deal of maturity with her," Peck commented. "Like most freshmen, her first year at the academy was full of ups and downs. They're struggling with being away from home and the academics are at a much higher level than they are used to in high school. I knew what her talent level was and where her potential could take her. Tennis is 90-percent mental, so once she made it through her freshman year she gained a lot of confidence and had a fabulous sophomore year for us."

Peck understands the ups and downs that take place at West Point, and now sees Allyson as a leader of character.

"It's a 47-month development process, and you can see the differences in her maturity level as she went through this place," Peck added. "Allyson has done a phenomenal job as team captain and is a leader on and off the court by setting the example for our younger players. I wish I had six more just like her."

Allyson's journey at West Point will conclude on May 27, when she graduates with a degree in Sociology. The next chapter of her life will begin when she reports to Fort Hood in her home state of Texas. There, Allyson will become well-versed in her duties as a Field Artillery Officer.

From a high school student that wasn't interested in West Point, to a future Second Lieutenant, Allyson has become a leader that her sister and family can be proud of.

Army West Point Athletics

Feature Friday: An Unexpected Mission for Two

Players Mentioned

Allyson Hayley

Nancy Porter

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