The Lady Colonels’ number one sophomore tennis player Jennifer Rodriguez brings maturity and responsibility to the tennis team both on and off the court.
Rodriguez’s friends and teammates said responsibility is a good word to describe her on and off the court because she is always on top of her schoolwork and tennis.
“I like to organize everything one at a time. I feel I am most responsible by making sure I get all my schoolwork done,” Rodriguez said.
“Sometimes she (Jennifer) studies for a test that is like three of four weeks away,” Veronika Ramirez, Rodriguez’s teammate and roommate, said.
“On the tennis court, she is really competitive.”
Because her father was stationed in the Army reserve, Rodriguez was born in Frankfurt, Germany. When her father was discharged, Rodriguez and her family moved to Miami, Fla.
When Rodriguez was seven years old, she discovered an passionate love for the game of tennis.
“I started playing when I was seven because my friend played. I was really good at it, and just kept up with it,” Rodriguez said.
“I just chose to play tennis because I was good at it. It was something that was fun, and I enjoyed going out and play.”
Although her parents did not play tennis, Rodriguez said they played a huge role in her tennis career.
“My parents didn’t play, but my father wanted me to be good so he always went to my tournaments. He made sure I went to practice, and when I was younger, he would stay home on the weekends and hit tennis balls with me,” Rodriguez said.
“He helped me get a scholarship, and he helped me look for schools. My dad and mom were a big part of my career.”
Rodriguez said one of her role models growing up was tennis superstar Jennifer Capriati.
“I used to dress like her. I used to use the same tennis racket she used and I wore the same brand of clothes she wore. When she got into the whole drug thing, I didn’t like her anymore,” Rodriguez said.
Attending Southridge High School in Miami, Rodriguez was very involved with the tennis program.
“I played all four years. My team wasn’t very good because we really didn’t have enough tennis players. I was pretty much the only tennis player they ever had,” Rodriguez.
In high school, Rodriguez became friends with her current teammate Ramirez. Ever since, they have become the best of friends.
“We have been playing tennis together for a while. We have become good friends throughout the years,” Ramirez said.
Rodriguez said she loves her decision to play collegiate tennis at Nicholls. She says there is only one major negative aspect.
“The only negative is that I don’t get to see my family and my boyfriend. Miami is 900 miles away, and I only get to go home during school breaks,” Rodriguez said.
Despite the team being winless overall on the season, Rodriguez said the future looks bright for the Lady Colonels tennis team.
“Our team isn’t where it should be right now, but it is just a learning experience. We are supposed to have a better team next year with some new players,” Rodriguez said.
In singles play, Rodriguez claimed the first win of the year for Nicholls tennis, winning at the number one singles spot against Northwestern State.
One week later, Rodriguez won again with a win over Southwest Texas State’s Tina Klemenc. Rodriguez is 2-2 in Southland Conference single play at the number spot and has the only two Colonel wins of the year.
Rodriguez said she does not feel pressure being the number one player for the Colonels.
“There is some pressure, but there is pressure on everyone because it is a team sport. Everyone involved has some type of pressure,” Rodriguez said.
With three different head coaches in two seasons, Rodriguez said she is happy with the positive stability head tennis coach Scott Robinson has brought to the team.
“He is a good coach, and he is easy to get along with. He is very positive, and he is helping us get through this year even though the production is not so good,” she said.
With some new players and Robinson returning, Rodriguez has big expectations for the tennis team next season.
“We are supposed to be better, and we should definitely be one of the top teams in the Southland Conference,” Rodriguez said.
The tennis team plays host to Lamar Saturday at noon at the Renaissance club in Houma.