Clemens Finds The Perfect Fit At MSU
February 21, 2024 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State freshman Jayna Clemens first picked up a tennis racket around the age of 8.
Clemens' father, Jason, played tennis at Kilgore College and quickly began teaching her technique and started honing her budding skills. Those early lessons proved to be a pathway that not only shaped the remainder of Clemens' childhood, but eventually created an opportunity for her to follow in her father's footsteps to play collegiately.
"He was very hands on and always doing research about tennis for me," Clemens said. "He went out to the courts and practiced whatever I needed to work on. He watched all of my matches and was a big part of my tennis career."
As Clemens approached the sixth grade, the time demands of playing in tennis tournaments across her native Texas and beyond began to interfere with traditional education. So, the decision was made for Clemens to enroll at The Lakes Tennis Academy in Frisco and take online classes that would provide the flexibility she needed to juggle both her academic and athletic endeavors.
Clemens' notoriety continued to climb as she hit high school, rising to a five-star prospect and a top 30 recruit nationally. Colleges from around the country reached out but she had her heart set on competing in the Southeastern Conference. Â
"I had a lot of schools wanting me to come visit, but I was mostly focused on the SEC," Clemens said. "I really wanted to be in the SEC. I visited a couple of places but when I came to MSU, I just fell in love with the facilities, the girls on the team and the college town aspect. I really liked that and didn't want to be in the city. Since (MSU) was also in the SEC, it was perfect."
The 5-foot-6 Clemens arrived in Starkville last fall and quickly started transitioning from competing as an individual to the team concept that college tennis provides.
"When you get to college it's like a breath of fresh air," Clemens said. "You're in this new environment and have teammates now and you're competing as a team together. So the stress of being an individual is taken off your shoulders, but you still have the pressure to win for your team."
Clemens has really started to blossom this spring for the Bulldogs, compiling a 5-1 singles record during dual match play. She has been a fixture in State's singles and doubles lineup and was even named the SEC's Freshman of the Week earlier this month, the first Bulldog to win that honor since 2021.
 "She's made a ton of progress coming in," said assistant coach Noah Tippen. "The most impressive thing about her is how feisty she is. In practices, she enjoys a little trash talk and likes to have fun on the court with us and her teammates. I think that has helped drive her forward and helped her make a ton of progress since she got here in August and throughout this season. I think that's something that'll allow her to keep growing over the next 3 ½ years that she has left."
Although the current coaches are not the same staff she committed to originally, Clemens had no hesitation in sticking to her Bulldog pledge once Chris Hooshyar was announced as the new head coach. Since she arrived on campus, her connection with Hooshyar, Tippen and assistant coach Taylor Russo has continued to grow and thrive.
"My relationship with all of the coaches is great," Clemens said. "All three of them are very different people and I think that's great for the team. You have a variety of coaches and I have a great relationship with all of them. I'm so thankful that they're my coaches here at Mississippi State."
Essentially since she first stepped onto the court in elementary school, Clemens has been dreaming of the day she could play high-level college tennis. Now at MSU, she gets to live out those lofty aspirations daily alongside her coaches and teammates as one of the top up-and-coming players in the conference.
"My experience here has been really great, I wouldn't want it any other way," Clemens said. "I'm so thankful that I have such great coaches and great teammates that are always supporting each other. They're always ready to come out here and work hard and support each other no matter what, win or lose on match days. We also support each other on and off the court. I got very lucky with my school."
Players Mentioned
