University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagle Swan Song
4/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Golden Eagle Swan Song
Jennifer Sibille closes out her Southern Miss tennis career |
?All three matches this weekend are big matches (@Samford April 1, @UAB April 2, and the final home match April 3 against Arkansas State),? Sibille said. ?They?re all matches that we can win, but we?re going to have to fight to win.?
Though Southern Miss is having one of its best seasons in years and is poised to do extremely well in the upcoming Conference USA Tournament, Jennifer isn?t speculating what the future holds for the team at the tournament, April 21-24, in Fort Worth, Texas.
?I know that a lot of people are thinking about where we?re going to be seeded (in the tournament), but I really don?t like to think about that because it doesn?t really matter who we are up against because we?ve got to beat them,? said Sibille. ?So it probably doesn?t matter who we play. We?re going to walk out there, play the best way we can, hopefully all peak at the same time, and just leave everything out there at the tournament, because that?s all that?s left.?
Despite the Lady Eagles? recent success, Jennifer has experienced the hardships of being on two losing teams during her freshman and sophomore years. The team finished 3-21 her freshman year. The following year, under current Head Coach Randy Rowley, the team produced better results, but was still on the losing end of the stick, as it ended the 2003 season with a record of 8-13. Jennifer?s luck changed in the 2004 season as the team finished with a 12-11 record, which was the first winning season for the Lady Eagles since 1999 and Jennifer?s first season on a winning team in her collegiate career. The Lady Eagles are currently 10-5 and are on pace to have their second consecutive winning season under Coach Rowley.
?Jennifer started out with a team that only won three matches her first year,? said Rowley. ?She?s leaving now on the best team that she?s ever played on. I feel good about that, because I feel like I?ve brought a little extra to her. But she deserves all of that because of what she?s given back to the program. You talk about people that bleed black and gold, and she does.?
Coach Rowley isn?t the only one who has noticed the impact that Jennifer has had on the team. From coaches to players to fans and to even team trainers, Jennifer has given everyone around her what matters most: her heart. She is a passionate player who leads vocally and by example.
Student Athletic Trainer Chris Gleason, who is at every home match and every practice to ensure the safety of each and every Lady Eagle, can also see her passion on the court just by watching her.
?When Jen?s on the court, I never have to ask her how she is doing,? Gleason said.
Assistant Coach Shelby Lipson, in her first season at Southern Miss, has had the luxury of having an on the court coach to help make her job a lot easier.
?I know that every time Jen comes out on the court, she looks to have a really good time. But when she needs to, she gets down to business,? Lipson said. ?Off the court she has a lot of fun; she?s always the one making the jokes and being sarcastic and bringing everybody down to a level to have a good time rather than everything always having to be serious. She really works hard every day, in and out. Every time she steps out on the court she?s going to play her best.?
Some of Jennifer?s teammates have been around her for three years, others only one. But they are all unanimous in the amount of respect and admiration they have for her, not just as a leader and captain, but more importantly as a friend.
?I think Jennifer is a super-cool kid,? Freshman Sherry Price said. ?She?s my friend, and she?ll always be my friend.?
?She was my first captain, and she was a fantastic captain, and a great friend,? Freshman Ali Blackett said.
She has proven herself as a role model and has even been dubbed Mother Goose by her teammates.
?We?ve all given her the nickname Mother Goose,? Sophomore Nicola Slater said. ?She?s the adult of the team, and she?s always been there as a great role model. She makes sure that we?re all in check; keeping us in the correct place; making sure that we?re doing the right things. She?s been probably one of the best role models that I?ve ever seen.?
?She?s one of the best captains that I?ve ever seen,? Sophomore Grace Kammerer said. ?She?s always there; she always tells us what to do; she always tells us what not to do. She?s actually one of the best friends that I?ve ever had and all I have to say is second serve.?
?Jen?s a great role model and a wonderful inspiration to all of us Lady Eagles,? Junior Courtney Ulrich said.
?I think Jen is one of the best captains that we?ve ever had,? Junior Nikhila Narra said. ?She?s always there to talk to, and she?s very neutral if she sees you have a problem. I think she?s someone all of us look up to in many ways.?
Jennifer has left a lasting impression on her head coach, and it is one that will always be dear to him.
?Jennifer is someone who is so special,? Rowley said. ?She brings so much to the team and she?s grown so much with us. She was here from ground zero and has just grown into a complete leader. I see her now passing the torch to the younger players and teaching them what it?s like to be a captain. You just can?t say enough kind things about her. I?m really going to miss Jennifer, and she?s going to be successful at whatever she does.?
So on Sunday afternoon, Jennifer will give Golden Eagle fans something to cheer about at home one last time. But before it does end, expect Jennifer Sibille to give everything she has and leave nothing but her sweat, soul and heart out on the court. Her career as a tennis player is soon coming to a close, but her impact on the team as a tremendous leader and person will not be forgotten, and will continue on with the tradition that is Southern Miss.
?I have mixed feelings because it?s going to be hard to walk away from everything,? Sibille said. ?Collegiate tennis has been such a big part of my life for four years, and these seven girls are my friends. This team has pretty much been my life since I?ve been at school. I love Southern Miss, and I love the Golden Eagles in general. It?s going to be really hard walk away, but at the same time, I?m excited to try something new and start a new part of my life.?
