Imagine growing up in sunny Irvine, Calif., where in January, the average daily high temperature is 66 degrees. Then consider the Ann Arbor temperature is just 20 degrees. Who in their right mind would come to Michigan, sacrificing 46 degrees of warmth, to play tennis?
Meet 19 year old tennis sensation Liz Exon. In her freshman year, Exon has already reached as high as No. 37 in the national rankings, and plays No. 2 singles for Michigan’s women’s tennis team.
Exon came to Michigan on a recruiting trip, thinking that it was not the school for her. But, after meeting with coach Bitsy Ritt, Exon knew Michigan was the place for her and that she couldn’t get more from any other school.
“I love Coach Ritt, and having a good relationship with the coach was essential for me in choosing a school,” Exon said. “It’s hard to find a school that spends so much money on athletics and, at the same time, cares so much for academics. In light of all the positives at Michigan, the weather was not even a deciding factor.”
Exon has been playing tennis since the age of nine, and years of training culminated in a California individual state title her senior year of high school.
“I had always strived for that, and winning that was the best experience,” Exon said. “I got such amazing satisfaction from that, and looking back on it makes me realize why I’m in this sport.”
Exon has currently dropped to No. 67, but was very happy with her No. 37 ranking when she had it. But, she feels that it was nowhere near as important as the team’s ranking. Even though she is a team player, she felt it was a very good spot to be at.
“When I saw the rankings, I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ” Exon said. “It was very weird to see girls below me that had beaten me in juniors, and to be the second- or third-highest freshman.”
Individually, Exon’s goals for the season are just to win matches at whatever position she is playing, but she is very happy to be in the No. 2 singles spot right now. She didn’t have any expectations coming to Michigan this year, but had a very good fall season, which led to her high singles position.
“I feel honored to be playing so high in the line-up,” Exon said. “But, it can be very nerve-wrecking.”
Exon feels that the qualities that help her win matches are numerous: she is fast around the court, hits the ball very hard but plays with consistency and is very competitive. But, when in need of a point at a crucial stage in the match, Exon relies on her serve.
“Being a lefty, I can hit serves with a lot of spin, which gives the girls a lot of problems,” Exon said.
The women’s tennis team began the Big Ten portion of its schedule this week against Michigan State, but Exon did not change her style of play.
“I hope to stay calm, yet be aggressive,” Exon said. “I don’t really think about my opponent, I just worry about my own game.”
Exon is not sure if she wants to pursue tennis as a career, or may look to other career choices.
“It depends how my college tennis career goes,” Exon said. “If I enjoy playing every minute of every match, it’s something to look into for the future.”
If Exon decides against tennis as a career, she can always fall back on the Michigan education that drew her here from California.