EASTHAM — Nauset High School senior Nicole Boyce comes from a tennis-mad family. Her dad plays, her mom plays, and her grandparents play. For them, the sport truly is a family affair.
Boyce’s maternal grandfather, Clement Stancik, is tennis coach royalty: now 85, he coached Brentwood High School on Long Island to over 500 wins during his 56-year career there. He earned a spot in the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and he was given the Arthur Ashe Multicultural Award by the U.S.T.A. Eastern Section in 2014.
Boyce has spent all four years of her high school tennis career on the Warriors girls varsity team. Starting out as the team’s third singles player as a freshman, she rose to the top spot in her sophomore season — and has held it ever since.
The way she plays looks easy: one shot sets up the next. “My game keeps improving, but I couldn’t have done that without my coaches and all the girls on the team,” Boyce says. “They challenge me, and everyone supports each other. I’m so glad to be on this type of team.”
The 18-year-old who lives in Orleans has been able to use tennis as a platform to further her academic career. A standout in the classroom, Boyce will head to Cornell University this fall where she aims to major in applied economics and management with a minor in environment and sustainability.
“Tennis has fostered my determination and tenacity,” she says. “I use those skills when I’m out fighting on the court as a singles player, by myself. I’ve tried to put that into my everyday life.”
Playing at Sandwich High School on April 2, Boyce has her opponent on the run with a combination of forehands and backhands. With a forehand, she picks the opposite corner to help build a 4-2 lead in the second set. She quickly moves to 5-2 and then takes the set.
Her opponents hit the ball back over the net; Boyce plays tennis.
“Rusty start, but a good one,” Boyce says after dispatching her opponent 6-2, 6-2. She had battled through a tough fourth game in the first set, where she endured three break points before a passing winner gave her the advantage in deuce and an error by her exhausted opponent let her secure the game.
“I’ve always had that fight, and when I’m down in a game or a match, it’s about getting the next point,” she said.
Aside from her consistent spot on the team, there’s consistency among her fan base. Her dad, Craig, doesn’t miss a match. He’s also there for his freshman son Dylan’s soccer games during the fall — no matter the weather.
“It’s a lot of fun to come watch, and with her brother’s games, it feels like there’s something every afternoon, but I’m definitely going to miss watching her after this season,” says Craig.
At the Sandwich match, he is decked out in a Nauset winter hat, a sweatshirt, and a heavy outer jacket. “It’s been a real joy to watch her grow and improve,” he says. Win or lose, he says it’s about seeing her range of talents on display — “her determination and tenacity but also her kindness and sportsmanship,” he says. He knows those things will carry over for her both on the court and in college and career.
Her dad hangs onto Boyce’s every point, but he bites his tongue and lets her just play. He can usually be found sitting in his fold-out camping chair, but in tense moments he will wander up the sideline fence. “She’s reprimanded me a few times, and I learned early on to let her do her thing,” he says.
Boyce began playing tennis at an early age — when she was three or four, she recalls — and says playing with her family aided her development as a player. “I can step off the court and get advice from my parents,” she says. “It’s great to have their feedback, and I love to have them watching my matches.”
Will she miss high school? Maybe. She’ll certainly look back fondly on her time on the court here: “Nauset has given me so much joy and love for the game.”
