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Blair Gill (WTN: 15.6) played her first USTA tournament when she was 7 years old at the Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Virginia. She took enrichment classes at the University of Virginia during the weekends when she was young.

Although she was not thinking about college at the time, things have come full-circle for the blue chip rising senior from Lynchburg, Virginia. Gill has committed to play for the Cavaliers.

Gill wanted to stay on the East Coast for college. By the end, she narrowed her choice down to UVA and Wake Forest. Those were the only schools she visited. She committed to UVA on May 31 when she received her offer over the phone.

“Both the tennis and academic environment felt pretty familiar to me at UVA,” Gill said. “When I went for my visit, the coaches and team were great. They were all so nice and welcoming. Obviously, there are many good schools but UVA felt right.”

Gill, a left-hander, started playing tennis at age 4. Her mom was visiting a friend’s house and the friend was going to pick her daughter up from tennis. Gill’s mom thought it would be good to sign her up for clinics as well.

Nobody else in Gill’s family had played tennis before, but Gill was instantly hooked to the sport.

“I think I liked how individual it was,” Gill said. “I used to play soccer and basketball when I was little and I would just run up and down the field or court and never really get involved. I was afraid someone might kick me or something.”

Gill lives near Liberty University and would go to watch college matches when she was younger.

“I was honestly just amazed at the level of play,” she said. “I remember thinking if I ever get to that level, I knew I wanted to play college tennis.”

Gill has always attended regular school because she enjoys the social aspect of being around friends on a campus. During her free time, she enjoys hiking with friends and cooking and baking with her mom.

“My favorite dish to make is lemon pesto pasta with scallops,” Gill said. “I usually make it for my parents on Valentine’s Day. It’s kind of our tradition now.”

Gill has considered majoring in business at UVA and potentially opening a company associated with nutrition and fitness in the future.

Gill returned to Boar’s Head Resort in April for an ITF W75 event. After her match, several spectators approached Gill and told her how much they enjoyed watching her play. They will get a chance to see even more once she arrives in the fall of 2025.

“I am really excited to be around such a good motivating group of girls and have a set schedule of good players to work with each day,” Gill said. “I have always just really trained individually with my coaches. There hasn’t been a big group in Lynchburg to train with. I can’t wait to start training with teammates at UVA.”

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About Rhiannon Potkey

Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories. Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches. Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You can reach Rhiannon by email at [email protected].