Jocelyn Lu is Driven By Success
4/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 12, 2011
Eight months ago, Jocelyn Lu didn’t see herself in this situation. Entering her freshman year, Lu had just finished a standout high school career in which she went 64-5, but even after coming off such success, she wasn’t sure how quickly she would adapt to collegiate level competition.
“I was really worried with how I would compare to the rest of the team,” Lu said. “I just made sure I practiced hard every day and did whatever I could so I could do well during our season.”
That worked paid off, as Lu now starts at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles for Pitt. The true freshman currently holds a 19-7 singles record, which leads the team in single season-victories.
Still, Lu’s recent success didn’t come without some changes, as the Mission Viejo, Calif. native definitely had some adjusting to do on and off the court when she arrived in Pittsburgh.
“It gets really cold here. I’m from southern California, so I never lived in the snow or anything,” Lu said, laughing. “In California, there are no indoor facilities, so playing and hitting indoors was a big change.”
The cold weather wasn’t the only thing Lu had to get used to. The transition to the collegiate stage without parents in attendance or a personal coach has been one of the biggest challenges since she arrived.
“Before I came to college, my parents came to all my matches and my personal coach, who would help me with my strokes and my form,” Lu said. “Now it’s just me, the coach and the team, so it’s different not having someone only there for me, watching me and helping me.”
Although it may be different from what she was used to, Lu hasn’t let any changes hinder her first year with the Panthers. Not only is she excelling in solo competition, but she and fellow freshman Kimmy Borza are continually seeing success in doubles action. The duo has already tallied 10 wins this season in doubles play.
As driven as she is on the court, the pre-med major definitely makes time to focus on her education as she attempts to reach an academic goal of one day becoming a doctor.
“I want to be a doctor because I just love helping people and making their lives better,” said Lu. “I think if I had to chose, I would like working with kids better, but I still have few years to decide.”
She not only has a few years left to make educational decisions, but to leave her mark on Pitt’s tennis program forever.
“Coach (George Dieffenbach) said that if I keep winning the way I am now, I have a shot at reaching the career-winning record, so that’s another goal I have,” she said.
The combination of a pre-med major with a standout tennis player is sure to lead to continued success for Lu in the future. For now, it’s making for an interesting correlation between classroom and the court.
“Sometimes when you’re running to balls, you try to think of the most efficient way to do it,” Lu said. “You think of angles and shapes that would maximize your efficiency on the court.”
No matter how she thinks about it, her strategies have led to early success in what looks to be a promising career during her time as a Panther.
Pitt continues its season on April 13 when it travels to Georgetown at 2 p.m.