Paige Pratt’s first tennis match at Millsaps College had an ignominious end.

“I was kicked out,” she recalled with a laugh. “It was a closed tournament for Mississippi residents, and I wasn’t a resident yet. We split the first two sets, and the other woman didn’t want to lose, so she had them check my registration.”

The rest of her career went a lot better. Pratt became an All-American and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III tournament in 1988. In November, the Vicksburg resident was inducted to the Millsaps Athletic Hall of Fame. A total of 185 athletes have been inducted since 1969, but Pratt is only the third women’s tennis player to receive the honor.

“It was a surprise. It was 20 years ago. The athletic director kept calling, and I had no idea why he was calling,” Pratt said. “I was honored. They told me who the other tennis players were who made it, and I knew some of them. Some of them were older players and they were role models for me.”

Like many great success stories, Pratt didn’t set out to be a hall of famer or even end up at Millsaps. She grew up in San Angelo, Texas, and played one year of tennis at Midland Junior College before transferring to TCU and walking on to its tennis team. After a season of that, she received a call from a friend at Millsaps who urged her to transfer again.

“I was planning on playing for TCU, but I would’ve been playing four, five or six,” Pratt said, referring to the lower rungs on a tennis team’s depth chart. And most of the scholarships went to foreign players. American players had to be ranked in the national top 10 to really be considered. I knew I wasn’t going to go pro or anything.”

Neither Pratt nor her family had ever heard of Millsaps, but an independent streak led her to venture east to Jackson. She had arranged to room with another student, though, and it didn’t take long to make friends. On her first day on the campus, she visited the bookstore and met the Wayne Pratt — the man who would become her husband.

“I married the very first guy I met at Millsaps,” she said.

On the tennis court, things went just as well for Pratt. She earned the No. 1 singles spot in her first season and reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 1988. That same year, she was ranked No. 1 in the South region and No. 6 nationally in Division III. She earned All-American honors in 1988 and 1989, had a career singles record of 39-10 and a doubles record of 31-11.

“The first year I was surprised. I had no idea I would even be competitive. I was honored even to be invited to the national tournament,” Pratt said.

After college, Pratt started teaching the game more than playing it. She has been the tennis pro at Vicksburg Country Club on three different occasions and is now coaching Warren Central’s high school team. She teaches at Bovina Elementary and has also become a mother of two. Her oldest, 14-year-old daughter Lauren, lettered in tennis for WC as a seventh-grader.

Although she enjoyed her time near the top, Pratt said she’s been happy to take a step back since then.

Tennis will always be a part of her life, but the teaching side appeals to her now.

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com.