Cynthia Tow McPherson ’05 only steps into the kitchen when absolutely necessary. That’s one of the reasons she boasts a DUPR of 5.37 — an impressive Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating that indicates her high level of proficiency in a sport she picked up only two years ago while on vacation. As for the kitchen, just about everyone who plays pickleball likes to make jokes about this sobriquet for the non-volley zone — except maybe those players who end up pickled (losing a game without winning a point).

“When I discovered pickleball, I played to have fun. But I went from zero to 100, and within the year, I was playing pro,” says McPherson, who played Division I tennis at Boston College as an undergraduate.

These days, when not busy with her two children or her full-time job at Northeastern Law advising students on securing co-ops and postgraduate jobs as the law school’s director of the private sector in the Center for Co-op and Career Development, McPherson is on the road. Tournaments take her throughout New England and beyond, where she demonstrates her prowess at shots and moves that include offbeat names such as “around the post” or “chicken wing.” McPherson pays her own expenses for registration fees, travel and lodging, though like many pro players, she’s seeking sponsorships.

“The best thing about pickleball is that it’s collaborative,” explains McPherson, who has earned several professional victories in women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles on the Association of Pickleball Players Tour. “It’s the same way I feel about my Northeastern team. We’re incredibly collaborative, we have fun together and we’re working toward a common goal.”