MORAGA, Calif. -- Who says a sequel can't be better than the original?
In the case of Saint Mary's women's tennis player Jenny Jullien, it would have been hard to imagine a season better than the one she had in 2013. As a junior, she became just the second Gael to earn West Coast Conference Player of the Year, joining her friend Alex Poorta. Jullien climbed as high as No. 17 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, passing Poorta to become the highest-ranked Gael tennis player ever. She competed in the NCAA Singles Tournament and earned the title Female Student-Athlete of the Year from the SMC Athletic Department.
As it turned out, Jullien was only getting started.
The native of Perpignan, France re-wrote the Saint Mary's athletic record books in 2014 by authoring one of the most impressive single seasons an individual Gael has ever had. An astounding 21-3 record in spring competition yielded her second straight WCC Player of the Year honor and resulted in the first ITA All-America award for a Saint Mary's tennis player. Jullien was again named SMC's Female Student-Athlete of the Year and she returned to her native country with her place secure in the annals of Saint Mary's history.
Jullien laid the groundwork for 2014 with a fall to remember in 2013. By reaching the finals of the ITA Northwest Regional, she qualified for the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoors in New York. Jullien won two matches at the tournament, establishing herself on the national stage and building momentum for the spring season.
Because of her fall success, Jullien began the spring campaign ranked No. 7 in the nation and she would stay in the top 15 all season, closing the year at No. 12. Along the way, she went 17-2 in dual matches, 7-1 in WCC play and 9-3 against ranked opponents. She avenged her loss in the ITA Northwest Regional final, beating No. 5 Kristie Ahn of Stanford in straight sets and won two matches at the NCAA Singles Tournament to reach the round of 16.
Jullien's success wasn't limited to the singles court. She earned a spot on the All-WCC first team for doubles with partner Parminder Kaur and closed her career with a total of eight all-conference honors (four singles, four doubles). Jullien was also one of the most accomplished student-athletes at Saint Mary's, earning her second WCC All-Academic team honor and a spot on the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll for Academic Excellence.
