No matter how hard anyone may try, there’s no escaping the unexpected challenges and adversity we all face in life — especially in sports. No matter how inevitable those challenges may be, oftentimes they still come as a complete surprise when they happen. 

Needless to say, when graduate student Alana Smith of the NC State women’s tennis team was told she’d have to forgo her senior season in 2022 due to injury, she was shocked. 

However, nearly a year and a half later, Smith’s experience with adversity has become a part of her journey as an athlete, a part that she wouldn’t take back no matter how tough it was.

Smith has been crucial to NC State’s success in her time here. A pillar of the team in all aspects, the three-time All-American has helped the Wolfpack become a mainstay in the top 10 nationally-ranked teams in the past few seasons. But when a seemingly rolled ankle sustained in an offseason practice turned into a season-ending injury, Smith was forced to take a step back.

“I don’t think it really hit me until a couple of doctor’s appointments later,” Smith said. “They were like ‘Yeah, you’re definitely going to have to get surgery, and you’re going to be out the whole year,’ and I was like ‘What do you mean, it’s my senior season.’ That was definitely a tough pill to swallow.” 

Being sidelined for her senior season and the team’s most-anticipated year of tennis yet was something Smith and head coach, Simon Earnshaw, were understandably not prepared for. Injuries, or life-altering obstacles in general, are never in anyone’s plans, making it all the more difficult to deal with them once they occur. 

“I don’t think there’s any guidebook on how to handle situations like that,” Earnshaw said. “For the most part, that was the first time I’ve ever had a season-ending injury where it gets somebody out for the whole year. It’s just one of those things, whether being out in that way, or somebody just doesn’t pan out or you don’t get a recruit … What are you going to do? You’ve got to keep going and figure out how best to play the players you do have.”

The only thing you can do is persevere. As a coach, Earnshaw had to adapt to losing one of his best players, if not his best player, for the 2022 season — a season that actually ended up as the best in program history, even without Smith in the lineup.

However, it was a different story for Smith. While she had to persevere, she was forced to do it while cheering on her teammates from the sidelines and learning how to live without playing the sport she loves. While it wasn’t easy, a determined mindset and a dedication to staying positive kept Smith afloat throughout the time that she was injured.

“So I feel like last year for me, I tried to stay positive,” Smith said. “I don’t think I was my normal self last year because I was down at certain times, but I think that by staying positive … now I’m getting to where I want to be.”

No matter how forced it was, that relentless positivity and a strong support system — two key elements to overcoming adversity — got Smith through an experience that ultimately became just another step in her journey as a person and an athlete. 

“It just matured me a little bit to see the higher problems or situations that could potentially be a lot worse,” Smith said. 

Besides offering perspective, these moments can be a teaching experience to everyone on how to deal with adversity, no matter the situation. 

Fast forward through many months of rehab, hard work and countless hours waiting until she could get back on the courts in her final season, Smith is back and better than ever. 

Throughout the regular season, she looked like she didn’t miss a beat, and added even more to her already impressive resume to secure her place as one of the best players in program history. Smith reached the 100-win mark in singles with her straight-sets win against Virginia Tech, on senior day, no less, making her the second player in program history with 100 singles and 100 doubles wins. 

You couldn’t write a better senior day script if you tried. Smith’s family watched from the stands as she captured her 100th singles win and finally received the senior day ceremony she missed in 2022, making for a special moment. 

“It’s really special,” Smith said. “For me, I’ve been waiting a year for this moment … obviously with the injury and everything it got postponed, so I think this year was even bigger for me, and my whole family got to come out and see.”

That day encapsulated and celebrated Smith’s time at NC State — the ups, downs and everything in between, including the injury. 

“I’ve had an amazing five years,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t change it at all — even my injury because I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have that. My five years here have been amazing.”

In the end, Smith’s experience mimics life — as sports often do. Adversity like her injury offers perspective, grants opportunities for growth and makes the eventual triumph over all of it that much sweeter, and, like Smith, all you need is a bit of relentless positivity to overcome whatever challenges you may face.