TicketsMarch 22, 2011
By Shawn Sell
GoBEARCATS.com
Jasmine Lee is on a roll. Just a sophomore and a first-year member of the University of Cincinnati tennis team, Lee has been red hot on the court in recent weeks. She has a change in scenery and the support of her family and friends to thank for that.
After a highly-successful prep career at Canton, Ohio's Glen Oak High, Lee chose Iowa State University as her college of choice. In her one year with the Cyclones, Lee posted a respectable combined record of 9-5, but just couldn't shake the uneasy feeling of being so far from home.
"I am from Canton and Iowa was about 13 hours away; really far from home," she says. "I got homesick a lot and I wanted to be closer to home to be around my family more. I really liked the UC team; they really welcomed me and made me feel at home."
Once the dual match portion of the Bearcats' season got underway in January, Lee settled in as the No. 2 player in the UC line-up. Against a highly-competitive early season schedule, Lee struggled to a 1-3 start, before earning her first win at Bowling Green on February 5th. When BIG EAST play started a week later, Lee turned the wick up further, starting a stretch of eight wins in 10 matches, including five in seven conference matches. She did so well the weekend of March 11th-12th, that she was touted the BIG EAST Player of the Week, an honor she was surprised, yet happy to accept.
"I was really surprised," Lee says of winning the award. "Coach called me after practice one day and said `I just want to congratulate you.' I thought I had done something wrong and she said `No, I submitted your name and you won BIG EAST Player of the Week.' I was really shocked, but it was a big honor because I know there are many people to choose from."
So with Lee's recent run of success, what has changed? Is it a new shot in her repertoire? Is she playing easier competition? The answer is none of the above, as according to both Lee and her head coach, Angela Wilson; it's been mostly a change mentally.
"One of my friends, he comes to a lot of our matches and he always tells me `Jasmine, do work.' And that just kind of stuck with me," Lee says. "A lot of the last few matches that my parents have come to, I have won and they helped along the way with inspiration and words of wisdom that have pushed me to want to do better. But the one that has really stuck with me every time I step on the court is `do work.'"
"I think she started to believe that she is good and can play at a higher level," Wilson adds. "I think she had some doubt in her abilities before and I think she just started to believe more that she can beat some good people. You beat somebody and then you beat (another) somebody in a close match and she has done that and it's helped her confidence a lot."
It is really not all that surprising that Lee is enjoying such a solid season (10-5 singles record, including 2-1 in the No. 1 slot entering this week). Lee posted an 87-8 career record in high school, including three conference championships, but her success goes a little bit deeper; it's in the family. The youngest of three daughters to Gary and Barbara Lee, Jasmine is the third of the sisters to play collegiate tennis. Oldest sister Jessica played at Wright State, while middle sibling Jacqueline was an All-Big Ten performer at the University of Iowa. That pedigree, along with the chance to play against her talented siblings has helped shape Lee into the player she is today.
"I kind of didn't have a choice (about playing tennis)," Jasmine says with a laugh. "My sisters had a choice of what they wanted to do but by the time I came up, they were into tennis so I was too. I have been playing tennis since I was 8 and they have been playing since 6 or 7. My middle sister Jackie was Iowa's No. 1 player and I get compared to her a lot. It put a lot of pressure on me to be like her and do as well as her. My sisters are so much older than me and I have played with them so I got used to getting beaten up on. I got used to playing better players because of them. I still get a little nervous, but I just go out there and try to do the best that I can do."
When taking a look at Lee on the court, it quickly becomes apparent what the best trait of her game is--power. As a teenager, Lee had the power game instilled to her by a coach that she practiced with daily. To this day, those lessons remain in Lee's mind.
"I can't stand the little dinking the ball over stuff," she admits. "I like the more powerful game, hit it hard. I can play the other game, but I don't like to do it and I will struggle a little bit more. Powerful is what I like."
"She hits a really hard ball," Wilson says. "She has a lot of power and she can hit some really good angles. She moves the ball around really well with a lot of power. She can finish points and that is what you need to play higher in the line-up. When people are powerful to her, she has the strength and stamina to be able to hold her ground. Power doesn't bother her too much because she has the strength to give it back."
With just a small adjustment to her mental approach, Jasmine Lee has gotten on a roll. She has a change of scenery and the support of loved ones to thank.