Every year thousands of freshmen enter N.C. State as new students. Not all of them, however, play varsity sports.
One such varsity athlete, women’s tennis freshman Berkeley Brock, is making the adjustment all her classmates make to being away from home for the first time and taking college classes.
And in her free time, she faces NCAA Division I competition on the court.
With the first half of her first semester in the books, Brock said her adjustment to college is going well.
“I really like school so far,” she said. “In a way [playing a sport] complicates things. You have a lot less free time, but at the same time, you learn to manage your time really well. I seem to get more work done this way because I know time frames when I can and can’t do work.”
Brock comes to the Wolfpack from Knoxville, Tenn., where she attended the Webb School of Knoxville.
“I went to a pretty tough private school,” Brock said. “It was great because we were all really close, and we won a bunch of state championships. That’s what really made me want to play college tennis — the whole team atmosphere. We had a good tennis team [in high school] and we practiced a lot, but [college] is still harder. It’s a lot more intense.”
Brock said she decided to come to State after visiting the campus. She said she liked the coaching staff, her soon-to-be teammates and the new tennis facilities, the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. Plus, she had an eye on her future.
“The Raleigh area has a lot of opportunities after college,” Brock said.
Senior teammate Allison Barry said Brock, an eight-time Tennessee doubles state champion, prepared herself well for the college game.
“She came in with a good idea of what college tennis was like,” Barry said. “Playing in tournaments over the summer helped her get a feel for what the competition was going to be and how a team atmosphere works. She got an early feel for that, which is great.”
While women’s tennis coach Hans Olsen said he doesn’t need to rely on Brock much as a freshman, he said she brings a lot to the table that will help the team greatly in the future.
“Her game is very crafty, and she has a great shot selection,” Olsen said. “She definitely has the ability to contribute in both singles and doubles. I think she’s going to be a really, really good college tennis player.
“I’m excited about her learning curve — where she can go with her tennis. She has a lot of really good tools that can give her a lot of things to build on with her game. Little improvements are going to make a huge difference and I’m excited to see where we can go with that.”
Barry said Brock’s youthful enthusiasm is among her many qualities that push the team along during its season.
“She brings fresh talent, a fresh attitude and fresh legs,” she said. “Her excitement gets everyone else excited, all the returning players. We remember when we started out as freshmen. She’s a really steady player. She puts in a lot of time on the court to better her game. If she continues that, she’s going to have a great year and a great four years here.”
Olsen said Brock has a natural competitiveness that turns every match she plays into a battle.
Brock added her style of play can sometimes get under opponents’ skins.
“I’m a better doubles player than a singles player, which isn’t usually the case for college players,” she said. “My game is a lot different than most people. I’m a slice-and-dice kind of person, and that can be kind of aggravating for a lot of people.”
Brock defined a successful season for herself very simply — she wants to know that she’s done her best.
“It’s not really where I play or who I beat on the team,” she said. “It’s a feeling of accomplishment. It’s more that I want to know I’m doing my best.”
