Danielle Sum is a senior on the women's tennis team at Judson University.  She is from East Dundee, Ill., and is one of Judson's captain and #1 player for singles and doubles.  She is also the Judson University JSO commuter representative and a member of the Judson Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

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Danielle Sum, a 5-6 junior from East Dundee has played tennis for the past 6 years. This has been her first year playing for Judson's new tennis program. This past year, Sum has had a breakthrough in her game. She recollects, "My serve started improving at a faster rate than ever before with Art as my coach!"

Playing at Judson was originally not what Danielle had envisioned. It was through the interactions with the school that she decided to commit to Judson University. "...Through talking with my coach, Art, I was able to see many benefits [in attending JU]," she tells. "Also, I worked with Adam Ledyard at Riverwoods over the summer, which also influenced my decision to join Judson Athletics."

Although Danielle played soccer in high school, tennis is her chosen passion. She appreciates the mentality of a "one point at a time" game. "Every point must have a new beginning - no matter what happened with the one before it. [Coach Steuber] has taught me to keep moving forward," Sum tells.

"I have been able to relate this concept to my faith by remembering that God has new mercies every day and wants us to keep pressing forward to our goal in Jesus!" she exclaims.

Danielle gives and receives much encouragement both on and off the court by her fellow teammates. The nature of tennis doesn't lend itself to much team encouragement and fellowship, since it is an individualized game. Sum and the other Judson tennis players work hard to support each other in spite of this: "...It's easy to get caught up in your own game, but when one teammate finishes a match, we always find another court to cheer for," Sum shares.

The players lift one another up outside of tennis as well. Danielle tells of the team praying for each other if someone is having a rough time outside of tennis. It is great to hear about JU's tennis girls putting their words into action and choosing to uplift one another and ultimately the Lord.

Judson's tennis team adds to its cohesiveness by having fun times together off the court. Most of Sum's favorite memories involve eating out together. She recalls going to Portillo's, getting cake shakes and making up rap songs as a team! "Then for Christmas, we had a team party that felt like a big, happy family with most of the men's and women's teams all together," Danielle says.

Danielle lets Christ shine through her in all these interactions and in her tennis game. She reveals, "Jesus is the one that I try to please. It does not matter if I win or lose," she states. "If I don't glorify God through my sport, then what I do is meaningless."