W. Tennis' Sloat an unexpected star

Tennis prodigies are ordinarily said to have "grown up with tennis racquets in their hands." Interminable hours are spent on the tennis court practicing -- forehand... backhand... lob... overhead... And then, there are those who take the less-traditional path to tennis stardom. Junior Jolene Sloat, co-captain of the Penn women's tennis team, grew up not on the tennis court, but rather on the soccer field. Although Sloat always took tennis lessons and played weekly throughout her childhood, soccer was her primary athletic activity. "Soccer was my sport when I was younger," Sloat said. "My father coached me, and I loved playing the game." It was during high school -- after getting cut from the varsity tennis team as a freshman -- that her list of athletic priorities began to change. "I tried out for the varsity team during my first year at Fairfield [Conn.] High School," Sloat said. "Although I beat many of the higher-ranked girls on the team, I was cut. The disappointment of not making the team inspired me to work harder at tennis and to show my ability as a player." After spending the ensuing season on the JV team, devouring opponents with such ease that her coach deemed her the "Queen of the Shutout," Sloat decided to focus on tennis more intensely, pledging the summer prior to her sophomore year to competing in local tournaments. "I played whenever I could," Sloat said. "I competed all the time. The more I played, the better I became." It was during that same summer that Sloat defeated the No. 1 singles player at her high school. "That win was a big boost to my confidence," Sloat said. "It furthered my desire to compete and to achieve at a high level in tennis. I knew then that I wanted to compete in collegiate tennis." While Sloat remained a member of the soccer team, tennis emerged as her athletic focal point once her sophomore year in high school began. Sloat began playing intensively at Tremble Racquet Club with head professional Jerry Albrikes. "He really took Jolene under his wing," Sloat's mother, Jody, said. "As soccer parents, my husband [Richard] and I knew nothing. Jerry really helped us and Jolene out." When she began competitive play in her sophomore year of high school, Sloat was ranked No. 49 in New England for 16-year-olds. By her junior year in high school, Sloat had moved up to No. 19 in the 18-year-old bracket of the New England region. Her final ranking was No. 5 in the 18's. Upon applying to college -- despite her relative inexperience in top-level tennis -- Sloat received offers from many elite tennis programs, including Penn, Rutgers, UConn, Boston College and Providence. After visiting Penn on a recruiting trip, Sloat was sold on the university and the tennis program by Penn women's tennis coach Michael Dowd. "Coach Dowd is a real great person," Sloat said. "The university has a phenomenal academic reputation and, combined with a great tennis program, I knew this was the school for me." In Sloat's freshman year, there were six freshmen on the tennis team. Sloat found herself seemingly "behind" the other players. "I clearly had the least experience of anyone," Sloat said. Sloat attributes much of the success she was able to have during her freshman year, in which she garnered a 13-5 record, to her growing match experience. "I gained so much confidence after showing that I could compete at such a high level," Sloat said. "Winning did not necessarily mean as much to me as learning and growing as a player." After improving greatly during her first collegiate season, Sloat looked at her sophomore year as a chance to assert herself as a top player in the Quakers lineup. Her unblemished, 7-0 Ancient Eight record served as a testament to Sloat's growth as a tennis player. "Going undefeated in the Ivies made my sophomore season a great year," Sloat said. However, it is not her undefeated Ivy League record that Sloat holds in highest regard. "I felt so lucky to have my teammates nominate me as captain," she said. "This was my tennis achievement in which I take the most pride." After beginning her tennis career at 16, Sloat believes that it is the advice of her father, Richard, that has enabled her to enjoy seemingly overnight success. "Ever since I've played soccer on my father's team, he has always imbued in me the understanding that any team can beat any other team on any given day," Sloat said. "Because of this, I always work hard in practice... Having this understanding has made me a better tennis player and a better person."

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