Freshman Taylor Gould grew up in Los Altos, California, a short, ten-minute car ride to Stanford University.

Taylor grew up in Cardinal red, with dreams of possibly following in her family’s extensive athletic legacy at the northern California school.

Her grandpa, Dick Gould, was the Stanford men’s tennis coach for 38 years, leading his team to 17 NCAA Team Championships. Dick is the winningest coach in Stanford men's tennis history.

Taylor’s grandma, Anne, was the Cardinal’s women’s tennis coach from 1976-1979, coaching her team to an AIAW championship in 1978, the first team championship in any women's sport at Stanford.

Taylor’s father, Rick, swam for the Cardinal from 1986-1990 and her first-cousin, Amy Brown, served as the Director of Volleyball Operations at Stanford.

The athletic and academic legacy of the Gould family at Stanford spans five generations and over 100 years. 

So when Taylor decided that she wasn’t going to follow in her family’s footsteps, moving across the country to play for Villanova, it surprised many who know her and her family.

“I am glad that I paved my own path and made my own decision based on what I thought was best for myself and not on other people’s expectations,” Taylor said.

We asked the freshman to reflect on her tennis career, recruiting process, why she chose to be a Wildcat and what her first season at Villanova was like:

When did you start playing tennis? Did you play any other sports?

“The first time I played tennis was probably around the time I could walk, and started playing competitively when I was around nine. However, I did not take it seriously or make it my main sport until I was 12. Growing up, I played soccer, basketball, tennis, swimming and diving. I played competitive, club soccer for five years and did one year of competitive swimming and summer league swimming from ages 3-18 and diving from 7-16.”

Did your grandpa ever help you with your tennis skills or give you advice on recruiting when you got to high school?

“My grandpa would sometimes watch me play with my friends and help us with strategies and make sure that I didn’t develop any bad habits with my strokes. He would also come to some of my tournaments and high school matches and give me tips on point play and my attitude on the court. However, he mostly left the coaching to my coaches, which I am grateful for because he made sure that he was my grandpa rather than my coach. 

For recruiting, he gave me advice on how to interact with coaches and what to look for in a program, but he did not interfere very much with it and let me make the choice on my own. My dad helped me significantly with the recruiting process. Even though he was a swimmer, he went through a similar process when he was my age. He also has spent a lot of time around coaches, so he knows how to interact with them. Perhaps the most helpful part was that he knew what to look for in a program and knew which questions to ask.”

What was your recruiting process like for you? Did you visit any other colleges and how and when did you get on Villanova’s radar? 

“I first started by making a list of colleges that I was somewhat interested in and that were in my range both athletically and academically around December of my sophomore year of high school.

I then toured some of these schools towards the end of sophomore year and the beginning of junior year. In December of my junior year, I started reaching out to coaches and I played in a smaller showcase. After January, I visited a lot more schools and met with the coaches there. 

The biggest exposure I had was when I played in the Yale showcase in July of my senior year. Almost every school I was talking to was there except for some of the California schools (there were over 150 coaches), so the coaches were able to see me play and I was able to talk to them again.

Villanova first got on my radar when a girl I trained with, Carina Burdick, committed when I was a freshman, but I did not look seriously into the school until later. I first visited the school in the winter of my junior year and went on a tour and met with Coach Steve. The summer before my senior year, he watched me play at the Yale showcase and invited me to take an official visit that Fall. I went on my visit in the Fall, loved it and committed a few weeks later.”

You have a long athletic legacy at Stanford. Did you grow up wanting to go to Stanford or did you know you wanted to have your own path? 

“Growing up, I was surrounded by Stanford constantly. My grandpa coached the men's team for many years, my grandma also coached the women's tennis team, my cousin was the director of women's volleyball, my dad swam there, and my mom went to grad school there. My family is also a fifth generation Stanford family and I have lived 10 minutes away my whole life. Because of this, growing up I only knew about Stanford. We went to almost every athletic event and I frequently wore Cardinal red. 

There are few programs as successful as Stanford tennis, and I loved the atmosphere of the matches. Some of my very first memories are going to Stanford tennis matches, and that is what initially sparked my interest in tennis. Growing up, I always wanted to go to Stanford, but that was also the only school I knew of. 

Until I was in middle school, I didn't really understand that there were other schools besides Stanford that I could go to. Even when I started learning about other colleges, Stanford was so ingrained in my childhood and people outside of my family always expected me to go there, so I thought that it was where I was supposed to end up. It was not until I started looking into colleges that I realized that Stanford might not be the right place for me. 

Don’t get me wrong, it is a fantastic school, my twin sister goes there and loves it, but it certainly is not the best school for everyone.”

Why did you ultimately choose Villanova?

“I ultimately chose Villanova because of the community. When I narrowed down my list of schools, every school had good academics and tennis, so my decision came down to where I thought I would be the happiest. When I visited Villanova, I loved how the students had a lot of school spirit and seemed very happy to be there. I also loved how friendly and welcoming the students were to me. Both times I stepped on the campus, I got the feeling that it was where I was supposed to be.” 

How tough was it to move across the county and be playing so far away from your family, including your fraternal twin sister Kayley? 

“I am very close with both my immediate family and my extended family, so one of the hardest parts about moving across the country was leaving my family behind. It was especially hard at first because my sister was staying so close to home, so it was hard for me to get to see her able to spend a lot of time with my family and pets when I missed them so much.

I also was not very independent when I left for school, so it was a big change living on my own. I also had a very hard time adjusting to the East Coast. The culture is completely different from the laid back California culture I grew up with and I really struggled with that at first. 

Another big thing I struggled with was the weather. I had never been in weather below 50 degrees for longer than a week, so I was not used to having to wear big jackets or the concept of layering. Being on the tennis team definitely helped me with the transition because whenever I was homesick or struggling with something they were always there to support me and give me advice.”

What was your freshman year like? What were some highlights for you?

“My freshman year was amazing. It definitely had its up and downs with adjusting and learning how to balance everything, but overall, I had an amazing time and have grown so much since coming here. I have met so many amazing people and had so many amazing experiences. The two biggest tennis highlights were the St. John’s match and our Spring break trip to Southern California. 

The St. John’s match was our best result of the season. We won that match because everyone gave it their all and supported each other.

The California trip was also a highlight because it was almost like my two worlds were colliding. For starters, San Diego is one of my favorite places, and I love the ocean, so it was amazing to be by the beach and go surfing, swimming and being in the sun with my team (especially after my first East Coast winter). 

It also was really neat because I had a lot of friends on the other teams that both us and Villanova's men’s team played. Also, my parents and a lot of my extended family were able to watch our matches. 

Overall, it was a great bonding trip with our team and we became a lot closer because of it. Another highlight was lifting with my team. We did the trip with our men’s team, so it was always really fun because there was always a ton of energy. We always supported each other and pushed each other to do our best. Our coaches are also super supportive, encouraging, and fun, so we always had a good time and it was usually the highlight of my day.”

What is the best part of being a part of the tennis team? 

“The best part about being a member of the tennis team has been having a supportive group of friends and having an outlet. Our team is really fun and nice, so I always have fun when I go to practice. I know that it is a place where I can forget about any problems or stress I might be feeling. 

I also love having tennis as an outlet. Practice is always at the end of the day, so I love being able to forget about classes and just have fun playing the game I love with my team.”

How tough was it to find out that your freshman year was cut short due to COVID-19 and what have you been doing to keep busy?

“It was extremely hard to find out that my freshman year was cut short. The hardest part was definitely our season ending. We had worked so hard and come such a long way since the beginning of the year. It felt like our season was just ramping up and we were starting to scratch the surface of our full potential. 

What made it even harder is that it got canceled five days after we got back from our Spring Break trip, where our team really bonded and became very close. I feel especially bad for the seniors because they played a big role in our team’s success and they have seen first hand how far our team has come in the past couple of years. They don’t get a second chance like the rest of us. 

Since being home, I have really gotten into mountain biking and I have been spending a lot of time doing that. I also have been picking up small hobbies. I have been re-teaching myself guitar and the ukulele, learning to cook, going for runs, swimming, hiking and making friendship bracelets. It has been hard because I have not been able to play tennis since our last team practice more than six weeks ago, but I am trying my best to stay outside and active."

What are you looking forward to most about next year? 

“I am looking forward to picking up where we left off and coming back even stronger in the Fall. Our team is getting a couple of very talented players, and I am looking forward to seeing them add to our team. I also am looking forward to just being back and I know that we will all appreciate it so much more because of what happened this season.”

We also spoke to Taylor’s father Rick and grandfather Rick to get their perspective on her career:

What is it like to have one of your daughters continue the athletic legacy of your and your father by playing a Division 1 sport? How proud are you of her tennis career? 

“I am tremendously proud of Taylor for her accomplishments, but more importantly for whom she is as a person and how she represents herself. She has a true passion for tennis, and I tried to help prepare her to excel in college by making sure that tennis was fun for her so that she would want to play and excel. It also meant making sure that she had solid fundamentals and a love for the game. I know that she has tremendous upside and can improve a lot in college, if she chooses to dedicate herself to that. 

There are lots of great things that Villanova offers, tennis is one of those, so I am confident that she will choose what she is passionate about and dedicate herself fully to that. I also know that it is extremely fun for her to be a part of a team and she will contribute significantly to the success of the team. Junior tennis is an individual sport and now Taylor finally can work hard to contribute to something greater than herself. I know she will positively contribute to the Villanova women’s tennis team because o f her strong work ethic, her positive attitude and energy, and her compassion towards her teammates.” - Rick Gould

What is the hardest part of having your daughter play so far away from home and what do you do to stay close with her? 

“The hardest part of having her play so far away is that I miss her. She is a fun person to be around. It is good for her to be away from home. I try to be connected to her, but also give her the space she needs to grow. We text or FaceTime often to keep in touch. There were very few home matches at Villanova, and even fewer with the shortened season, so we never had the opportunity to visit her at school after we dropped her off in August. A highlight of the year was being able to see her and her teammates in San Diego during their Spring Break. We were able to spend time with Taylor and watch three matches. 

We were also planning to travel to the Big East Championship in South Carolina before those were canceled. Hopefully, we can do that again in the years to come and also see some matches at Villanova. The team is getting better and it will be fun to watch them compete for a Big East title.” - Rick Gould

Your granddaughter followed in your footsteps by being part of a Division 1 tennis team. How proud of you are her and what she has accomplished?

“I am most proud of Taylor for the person she is and her personal values. I am pleased she has the opportunity to continue participation in sport in college. I know how much she enjoys her experience at Villanova, both on and off the court, and for that I am grateful. But personally I would be just as proud of her for continuing to do what she loves (any sport at any level – DI, DII or DIII, or any activity) during her college years at any level. I am blessed to have a granddaughter whose parents have instilled in her such great values.” - Dick Gould

Did you watch Taylor play tennis growing up and what did you think of her playing ability back then?

“I tried to watch Taylor participate in as many activities growing up as possible. but – as a coach, much of what Taylor did in tennis conflicted with what I was doing, so my “observing” days were limited. 

I tried to see at least part of one or two high school matches per year, as well as a couple of tournament matches. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her play, but it was good and proper for her that my schedule allowed her some personal space.

 Taylor has a solid base for her game. good fundamentals and is a hard-worker, but she lacks competitive tournament experience. I am anxious to see how daily participation on a good and well-coached college team adds both to her improvement in tennis and her enjoyment of the sport. I personally did not start on my Stanford University team until my last two years, but I enjoyed practice and my teammates, worked hard and improved. When I finally earned a starting position, I was ready.

 As with anyone, there are always challenges and ups and downs. An individual sport like tennis can be pretty lonely at times. But that is the beauty of being on a team with helpful and encouraging teammates. As a former college coach, the most rewarding part for me was to watch individuals improve from year to year, especially those who stayed with it, took advantage of the daily opportunities for coaching and practice, and then finally earned the opportunity to start. I think that, if she remains positive, Taylor can become a good college player.” - Dick Gould