Jess Perkins, a freshman from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, seems to be settling into her new home on the Hilltop quite comfortably and representing the Hawks in a major way during her first year on the college tennis court. On October 22nd, Jess was chosen for the NE-10 All-Rookie Team, just two weeks after the pint-sized powerhouse was named NE-10 Rookie of the Week.

Her father introduced her to tennis when she was just five years old. At age seven she began training with a private coach and started to develop the skills that led her to two state finals and all four Central Mass district wins during her high school career.

“I like how you’re involved at every single point and always have to be alert and ready. No substitutions, no timeouts, if you mess up don’t need to wait to make up for it, the next shot is always yours”, Jess explained of her love for tennis. Jess’s favorite professional tennis players are Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters. She noted Nadal’s strong ability to play under pressure and his nine French Open wins as inspiration. “Kim Clijsters took time off and had a family and then came back to win a US Open. She has a complex, balanced life, she’s not just one dimensional and completely focused on tennis”. And considering the balance needed for Jess to succeed as a college athlete and nursing major, it is no surprise that she looks up to these qualities of Nadal and Clijsters.

When asked why she chose Saint Anselm, Jess credited the prestigious nursing program and the tennis team coaching staff as two major factors that helped make her decision. “I didn’t enjoy the overnight visits I had at other schools and I wanted a smaller campus, not a huge university. I also really like Coach [Nancy] Driscoll and Coach Tracey [Smith]. I put a lot of pressure on myself as a tennis player and my coaches really know how hard to push me without pushing me over my limit.”

Jess is a very well spoken and driven individual and sites qualifying for playoffs as a team and improving her individual record as her goals for her sophomore season. She also hopes to improve her doubles record with, first-time partner and fellow rookie, Ashley Sulkin next year as the two develop their flow and further their success.

Despite her explosion on to the scene of college athletics, Jess admitted that, “college tennis is a lot more intense than [she] expected. All the teams are so good!”… “When I play singles I play the best person on every single team and there are no easy matches.” But she did warmly affirm that, “the team in college is a lot closer than high school teams are. In high school you show up, practice, play, and go home. Now, during the season we do everything together, team dinners, weekend activities, we are stuck together for a 12 week period, which I really liked.”

Be sure to support Jess and the Women’s Tennis team during their short spring season and look out for Jess on the court next Fall!