On a scale of 1-10, 3.7 doesn’t seem like a very good number, but if the scale is from 0-4, then 3.7 seems almost perfect. For Island School’s Jeni Guerber, a perfect record on the tennis court this year was
On a scale of 1-10, 3.7 doesn’t seem like a very good number, but if the scale is from 0-4, then 3.7 seems almost perfect.
For Island School’s Jeni Guerber, a perfect record on the tennis court this year was just a start, as she followed up with a near-perfect high school career with a 3.7 GPA.
On the court, Geurber finished the season with an unblemished record with just two chinks in her armor in the past two seasons.
The 5’8″ tennis star graduated with honors and was a part of the National Honor Society at Island School.
Born in Northern California, Guerber comes from a family of “computer whizzes” that moved to Kaua‘i when she was just six years old. Besides ruling on the tennis court, Guerber also enjoys singing and gymnastics.
On the KIF level, air riflery and paddling were among the other sports Guerber participated in, this past year.
As far as college goes, the two-time Island School girls’ tennis captain and KIF champion plans on attending the University of California at San Diego (UC-San Diego) and walking-on to the tennis team.
At the start though, the dream of playing tennis at the collegiate level or any level at all, was the last thing on Guerber’s mind.
“When I first started out with tennis, I wasn’t that good, but I practiced a lot and got better,” Guerber said.
What’s most interesting about her is not that she dominated the girls tennis scene, but more importantly, the way she did it, as she played with extreme consistency that usually drove her opponents up the walls, or in her case, off the court. “I’m not a very aggressive player, but I do try to play consistent, mistake-free tennis every time I step on the court,” Guerber said. Island School athletic director has lots of praise for Guerber and thinks she has a bright future ahead of her.
“She’s great both on and off the court and her attitude is excellent and I don’t think there’s anyone at our school that doesn’t like her,” Island School athletic director Sean Magoun said.
Behind every good student-athlete is a great family and Guerber has had great support from her mom, Gina, her dad, Jim, and her brother Justin, who have been there for her from the very start. Island School head tennis coach, Ernie Blachowiak, who has been with the school for many years is also one of the reasons for Guerber’s success. He’s seen her grow as a person and a tennis player from when she first laced it up. Even though she came up short at the state tennis tournament this year, falling in the second round, Guerber is proud of her achievements and the fact that losing only two matches in two years isn’t pretty bad at all.
“I just go out there and play every match like it’s just another match and I think that helps me to stay cool, under pressure,” Guerber said. With a strong sense of who she is, going on to the next level for Guerber shouldn’t be a problem at all, especially with a good head on her shoulders.
