From spirited fist pumps to emphatic displays of triumph or frustration, Jackie Carleton commands unparalleled attention whenever she is on the court.
Carleton's fire and tenacity has helped elevate her to a 15-2 record in dual match play and a 9-1 mark in the ACC during her senior season.
"I hate losing, almost to an extreme," Carleton said. "It can definitely be my biggest asset as a player because I'm very competitive, I fight hard for every point, I play well under pressure."
But Carleton's aggressiveness and tenacity has not always been her greatest ally.
After enjoying immediate success at UCLA during a freshman season in which she posted a 24-13 record in singles play at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, Carleton said she was not concerned about keeping her energy and aggression in check.
"I didn't have to deal with it as much because I was always winning," Carleton said. "Maybe I would loose a few matches [by losing focus], but I wouldn't think about it too much."
The freshman phenom began to show signs of cracking during her sophomore campaign, despite helping to lead UCLA to an appearance in the NCAA Championship match. She registered a 20-19 record in singles and fell in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championship.
"I think I just had a really bad last year at UCLA, I just wasn't playing well," Carleton said. "Tennis-wise, I was still playing well, but mentally I was a little burned out."
In addition, the girl from Jenkintown, Pa. realized she was not at home in Los Angeles.
Carleton had a tumultuous relationship with her coach, Stella Sampras Webster, and did not feel the program catered adequately to the individual needs of the players. She hoped to find a national-title-contending program housed in a smaller private school, and Carleton eventually settled on Duke.
As a highly touted transfer, Carleton was expected to have an immediate impact. The junior struggled to adjust to the Duke program, however, and battled injuries that caused her to miss eight dual matches last spring. She also had to learn to curb an attitude that head coach Jamie Ashworth said was interfering with her potential.
"Coming here was a little bit of an adjustment as far as the team mentality first," Ashworth said. "The way they had done some things at UCLA was putting the individual first. She could win some matches, but she wasn't capable of beating people at a higher level."
As a result, Carleton limped to a 15-15 record in singles play, while her ranking dropped from a preseason 19th to 97th by season's end.
Everything changed before her senior season, though.
Ashworth said he started seeing a more focused work ethic and greater maturity in his senior.
"It's an amazing difference this year compared to last year," Ashworth said. "She really enjoys the competing part more than anything. I think she's learned to kind of vent her emotion in a more positive way. Last year, she would kind of get upset and lose her focus on the court. This year, when she's gotten upset on the court, she's been able to turn it into a positive."
With her bolstered focus and dedication now in line with her always tenacious approach to each and every point, Carleton has come full circle. The nation's 29th ranked player is once again a rock at the No. 2 singles position for a top-10 team.
"I think she's matured a lot on the court as far as her attitude goes," Ashworth said. "I think she's happier on the court than she's been in a long time."
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