This article apeared in the news paper in Kirksville, MO about one of my former players. I am
so proud of this young lady as she has furthered her education as well as her tennis career.
By Blake Toppmeyer
Senior Jennifer Salmon approached the net, gripping her tennis racket with two hands as her white adidas shoes squeaked on the court. She steadied behind the oncoming ball and delivered a low, two-handed backhand between Western Illinois University's No. 2 doubles duo, who could not keep their attempted return in bounds.After picking up the point, Salmon turned and gave her doubles partner, freshman Amy Ochs, a high-five.On the very next point, Salmon returned WIU's Kate Kennedy's serve with a backhanded shot that landed just in front of the baseline and over the head of Ashley Clark, who was playing near the net. Once again, Salmon capped off the point with a high-five to Ochs.The back-to-back points were vintage Salmon: backhand winners and high-fives aplenty."High-fives - it's a good way to interact with your partner and keep them pumped up," Salmon said with a smile after Tuesday's dual against WIU. "... It's just a good way for us to keep each other enthused about the match and keep each other talking."As for the backhand, Ochs said it's one of Salmon's skills that helps set her apart from other players."She has an incredible backhand," Ochs said. "That's really one of her best weapons in her game. ... She can place the ball pretty much anywhere she wants to. She also has a lot of power in her shots, so it's just really hard for the opponent to return it."It's that backhanded shot that has helped the 5-foot-2 Salmon play in Truman's No. 1 singles position for three years and compile a 74-46 career singles record. And it's a backhanded shot that she had years to develop.Salmon first stepped onto the tennis court at age six, when she attended a clinic run by Lanny Wake, who later became Salmon's high school tennis coach at Cameron (Mo.) High School."She was really enthusiastic about the game," Wake said. "It wasn't anything that her parents forced on her or wanted her to do. It's something that she took on herself to do. She, I think, was pretty self-motivated to become a player. She was just a little bitty thing, and she still is a pretty little bitty thing size-wise. She really took to the game. From that point on, she just started developing her game." Salmon said that first clinic sparked her interest in tennis."I wouldn't have played tennis necessarily if it hadn't been for the clinic he held," she said.After the clinic, Salmon started to hit tennis balls in her driveway against the garage door and eventually became a standout at Cameron, where she compiled a 95-9 singles record and qualified for the state tournament four times.
She was the No. 1 player all four years at Cameron, even during a freshman season when the team had a senior-laden roster. Wake said the turning point for Salmon came during that freshman season when she "started thinking a lot on the court.""She did a real good job of really analyzing her opponents and making them hit to her strengths, and she would attack their weakness," Wake said.Salmon's success did not slow down after she came to Truman. After splitting time between the Nos. 2 and 3 singles positions her freshman year, she has anchored the No. 1 spot for three seasons.Salmon has embraced the challenge of competing against the opposition's top player for three years."She never backs off of anybody," head coach Pete Kendall said. "She doesn't let anybody intimidate her and never has."After earning Honorable Mention All-MIAA last season, Salmon is having an equally successful campaign this year. She has helped put the women, who have an 18-3 overall record, in good position to qualify for the Div. II NCAA tournament for the first time since Salmon's freshman year.In addition to her backhand, Salmon's drop shot has helped her compile the second-best winning percentage (72 percent) of any player who plays No. 1 for the eight MIAA schools with women's tennis programs."To be truthful, lots of the female players don't like to get up to the net," Kendall said. "So she draws them up there with that drop shot. And if they can get to it, that just sets her up winning points fairly easily."Salmon also has gained her share of wins on the doubles spectrum, despite playing with five different doubles partners in four years. This year, she primarily has been coupled with Ochs, and the duo has a 19-4 record. Not only has Salmon been able to provide balance to the skill set of Ochs, who described herself as "more of a forehand player," but Ochs said Salmon has helped bring about her personal development."I was super excited when I found out that I was going to play with the No. 1 player, and I really feel like she's taught me a lot," Ochs said. "I just feel like every day I play with her I'm learning new things."And as long as Salmon's backhand - which started to take form 16 years ago at a tennis clinic in Cameron - doesn't falter, Ochs should be prepared to receive more high-fives in coming matches.
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