Since picking up tennis at the age of 10, Emily Newton set a few goals for herself: play at an SEC school, make it to the NCAA Tournament and compete at the ITA All-America Championships. By the end of her high school career, where she won two Alabama state titles at Dothan High School, she achieved the first of her goals when she joined the tennis team at Auburn. In October 2010, another objective fell when she represented the Tigers at the ITA/Riviera All-American Championships.

But after such a promising start, Newton’s road to completing the rest of her career checklist had to make a detour.

Shortly after playing in the All-Americans, Newton suffered a triangular fibrocartilage complex and ligament tear in her right wrist, which not only meant an end to her freshman season, but possibly the end of her career as well.

However, after completing a vigorous rehabilitation, both mentally and physically, and a move to the University of South Alabama, she picked up right where she left off and accomplished something she never bargained for: an undefeated spring season.

Her setback was the beginning of a tough period for Newton, where she faced an uncertain future.

“The injury was really hard physically and mentally,” said Newton. “I wouldn’t say it ended my career at Auburn, but it was definitely tough being told I might not be able to play again. My last six months at Auburn were very challenging.”

After undergoing surgery, Newton spent countless hours in rehab working to overcome her injury and get her tennis career back.

“Getting over it mentally was the hardest part of the injury,” said Newton. “Wondering if I was going to be able to do it was always in the back of my head. Rehab was really hard. I was in the training room three or four times a day. It took a lot of time and effort. It was very tedious.”

Needing a change, Newton decided to transfer to the University of South Alabama. Mary Angela Martin, a childhood friend, had already joined the team which helped Newton with the transition. Newton also knew head coach Jaco Keyser from Juniors tournaments.

“Seeing Emily play in Juniors, I knew she had the type of playing style that I like,” said Keyser. “She was someone who just looked like she loves tennis and enjoyed playing, and that stuck in the back of my mind. She was a highly recruited American player.”

“The program at Auburn wasn’t all that I expected,” said Newton. “I already knew Jaco and that he was a really good coach. I just thought playing for him at South Alabama would be a really good change for my game.”

Newton joined the Jaguars in the fall of 2011 and her only goal at the time was to get back on the court and begin playing again.

“Getting Emily back into playing again was a very gradual process,” said Keyser. “We were very cautious and really wanted to take our time and not speed things up too much. We just slowly and gently built the strength back in her wrist and we also had to rebuild her confidence after basically taking a year off of playing tennis.”

Despite finally getting back on the court, Newton realized the road to recovery wasn’t complete. Playing competitive tennis was the first step, not the last. She competed in only two tournaments during her first fall season at USA. She posted a 3-2 record, defeating players from Louisiana Tech, Texas A&M and Tarleton State.

Newton cited a tolerant and understanding head coach in getting her through the early part of her comeback.

“It took a while to overcome the injury, and even when I was playing here at South it was still hard,” said Newton. “The fall season was really rough but Jaco was so patient with me and really helped me. If he hadn’t been as positive as he was, I don’t think I would have been able to get through it. I was out for almost a year so it was weird getting back out on the court, but by the last tournament of the fall it had gotten a lot better. It wasn’t until the spring though that I was in the clear.”

“Emily rebounded very strong from her injury,” said Keyser. “We didn’t push it too hard. She played lower in the lineup as she tried to find her legs underneath her. She exceeded all expectations I had for her.”

By the time March 18 rolled around, she had racked up 12 straight victories. Her 13th, at Lamar, proved to be her most memorable of the season.

“When we played Lamar the match was already decided and we had won,” said Keyser. “Emily wasn’t having a great day, but she stayed in there and kept competing and fighting. From the big picture standpoint and long term, that match meant a lot for mental toughness and discipline.”

“I had a tough match the day before so I was tired,” said Newton. “But when we were playing Lamar I was down a set 4-1 and came back to win that match in three sets. After that, I knew I was back on track and that everything was going to work out. So mentally that win was huge for me.”

After that match, Newton was 13-0 on the spring season, but she wasn’t concerned about her unbeaten run, she was just trying to pick up wins for her team.

“I didn’t really put pressure on myself because of the streak, but I was always putting pressure on myself to win for the team. Not winning because I had a streak going but because the team needed that win.”

The Sun Belt Conference Championships began April 19 in Denton, Texas and Newton went into the tournament with a 16-0 record.

“I was aware of the streak throughout the season, but it didn’t seem real until playing in the conference tournament,” said Newton. “It didn’t really hit me until I was at conference and I hadn’t lost a match. I was playing a tougher opponent and I didn’t want to lose because I wanted an undefeated season.”

Newton clinched the victory over Louisiana-Lafayette to send the Jaguars to the quarterfinals with a straight-sets win. She later picked up one of only two points for South Alabama in the quarterfinals match against Middle Tennessee.

Those two wins wrapped up Newton’s first season at South Alabama with a 18-0 record, the most wins without a loss in recorded school history.

“Anytime someone goes undefeated it’s a special accomplishment,” said Keyser. “It hasn’t been accomplished at South too many times. Emily is a good player, but there’s a big difference in expecting to win and going out and winning those matches to keep the streak alive. That was really impressive.”

She won eight out of 18 matches in straight sets and whitewashed six of those opponents. Newton also defeated players from No. 60 North Texas and No. 58 Tulane.

“I absolutely loved my first season at South Alabama,” said Newton. “I had so much fun and everyone has been so helpful. We have such a great staff here.”

“Emily had a great first season here at South,” said Keyser. “Ever since she was younger she has been easy-going, enjoys playing tennis and likes being in a team environment and that’s been pretty consistent since day one here.”

As she moves past her perfect spring freshman season, Newton is looking to take that experience and add some extra responsibilities. Being a redshirt sophomore, she is the oldest player on the team and slowly starting to fill the position of a leader.

“This fall semester we’ve been trying to figure out everyone’s role,” said Keyser. “I think with everyone being a sophomore, and most likely freshmen coming in, it’s going to be hard to lead from a vocal standpoint. As far as work ethic, wanting to play and wanting to win, Emily is definitely a leader.”

“We’re all really good friends and I feel like everyone is a leader in their own way,” said Newton. “I feel more like a leader on the court through being positive. I always try to be encouraging on the court or in workouts.”

With everything she’s been through over the last two years, Newton’s life has come full circle, with some extra stops along the way.

“In the beginning, my only goal was getting back on the court and playing,” said Newton. “But now that I’m healthy it’s changed again. I want to win the Sun Belt Conference and make it to the NCAA Tournament. Now that I’m back on track, my goals are back on track too.”

With one season under her belt, Newton has higher expectations for herself and her team for the upcoming year.

“This season is going to be different,” said Newton. “Right now there are only four of us on the team. We’re getting a bunch of new girls in the spring so I want us to be ready to set a standard for them. We want to win conference this year and move on to make a statement at the NCAA tournament.”

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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