For Alexia Jacobs, being at Washington is her first experience being in an actual classroom.
Having spent her whole life homeschooled — growing up in Alberta, Canada, Jacobs was most looking forward to the social setting college would provide. Having grown up with the same group of friends that playing junior tennis supplied, college has served as an opportunity to see what different personalities and friendships she attracts.
In just one quarter at UW thus far, Jacobs can already feel a newfound confidence emanating. The confidence has come from being part of a new team culture, Jacobs said, and she is excited to see how much that will continue to grow this year and beyond.
“I’ve developed more maturity on the court, and that includes handling my body language,” Jacobs said. “I’m more relaxed mentally. If I’m down in a set or down in the match, I used to be doubting myself a lot but now I’ve grown that confidence in myself and can remind myself that I can still come back from any setback.”
PROFESSIONAL STATUS
Jacobs competed in a few pro tournaments this fall, but got so familiar with being around her Husky teammates that playing alone again felt strange.
“I kept thinking ‘where is everybody?’ because I have grown to love competing with this group so much in the first few months I’ve been here,” Jacobs said. “My coaches and family were there to support me, though, so it was really nice to play in front of them and show them how much I’ve grown since I’ve been away at college.”
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One of our 2?? favorite freshmen ??
Read all about Alexia’s lifelong (literally) tennis career & journey to UW!
>> https://t.co/C2KsC6HLoW#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/rosBq7Zkio
— Washington Women’s Tennis (@UW_WTennis) December 22, 2023
TENNIS: IT’S A FAMILY THING
Jacobs has played tennis for as long as she can remember. Her mom a tennis coach and older sister a tennis player herself, Jacobs has been around the game since before she could even walk.
“I’ve been at work with my mom since I’ve been alive,” Jacobs joked. “It was hard for her when I left for college because I was at work with her pretty much every single day because she worked at the tennis club I trained at. She never coached me and even though we weren’t on the same court, she would be on one side of the club and I’d be on the other. We just got used to spending a lot of time together.”
Spending hours upon hours with…
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