AUBURN, Ala. – Taylor Russo will be easy to spot on Senior Day when No. 20 Auburn women's tennis hosts No. 14 LSU Saturday at noon CT at Yarbrough Tennis Center.
She'll be the one on crutches.
In a doubles match against Mississippi State on March 11, Russo suffered an orthopedic trifecta, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscus in her left knee.
"This is my first injury," Russo said. "This is a whole new experience for me."
With 85 career singles wins, Russo ranks No. 6 in program history. Only three Auburn women have earned more than Russo's 90 doubles victories.Taylor Russo (with doubles partner Selin Ovunc) ranks No. 4 in Auburn history with 90 doubles victories
While the injury will prevent the graduate student from adding to her totals, Russo plans to still play a role in Auburn's success as the postseason nears.
"Would I love to be a part of it playing? Absolutely," she said. "I feel like now it's my turn to be their cheerleader and be their support system and play a new role now."
When the Tigers traveled to Arkansas and Missouri last weekend, Russo remained on the Plains, missing a match for the first time since joining Auburn's program in 2016.
"That was pretty bizarre," said Russo, who still followed every point by watching a livestream while the Tigers won both SEC road matches. "It was so nerve-wracking because you can't control anything."
When Russo came to Auburn from Deerfield Beach, Florida, the Tigers were coming off an historic season, advancing the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships and setting a program record with 24 victories.
The success continued her freshman and sophomore seasons, but Auburn went 1-12 in the SEC during Russo's junior year of 2019, resulting in a coaching change and the hiring of Caroline Lilley.
"I definitely feel like I'm leaving this program better than I found it," Russo said. "That's exactly what you come to any school to do. The past five years have not been easy. We went through a roller coaster.'The best thing that could have happened': Second-year coach Caroline Lilley instilled a new culture within Auburn women's tennis program
"I think Coach Lilley coming in last year was probably the best thing that could have happened. She helped completely change our culture over the past year. It made us do way better."
When the pandemic ended the 2020 season last March, Russo took advantage of the NCAA's decision to grant student-athletes an extra year of eligibility while she pursues her master's in communication.
"Having that extra year was such a blessing," said Russo, the 2020 ITA Southern Region Senior Player of the Year. "I gained two new freshmen who I absolutely adore. I wouldn't have met them without COVID. I wouldn't have met one of our transfers. It's so nice to be able to spend time with my team for one more year."'I've loved every minute': Taylor Russo ends her Auburn career ranked No. 5 in program history with 175 combined victories
With her tennis career ending, Russo hopes to put her graduate studies in communication to work in professional or college sports in social media.
Not even knee surgery can keep Taylor Russo from seeing the bigger picture and looking back at her time at Auburn with gratitude.
"Maybe it's not the end of the world," said Russo, whose 175 combined wins rank No. 5 in Auburn history. "I'm still here. Tennis isn't everything. It's changed my whole perspective.
"I do feel like these last five years have been unbelievable. I think the ending to this is not honestly the ending I want, but I feel like I've done everything I could and I've loved every minute of representing Auburn.
"I'll still rep Auburn until they're done with NCAAs and I'm hoping my team will be the Cinderella story. I feel like they're going to prove that and I'm so lucky to be a part of that, even if I'm not on-court physically playing."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer