North Carolina State University Athletics
Roach Grew Up With Racket in Her Hand
10/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Ashley Smith
NC State Media Relations Student Assistant
Growing up, Julia Roach was the little girl at NC State football and basketball games wearing the cheerleading outfit. Now, she is a junior on the tennis team working towards her goal of making the NCAA tournament.
As she prepares for the season ahead of her she works out six days a week and does strength training exercises three days a week.
Roach started playing tennis when she was eight.
“I was really in to ping-pong and I played with all the boys,” Roach said. “They would all say that I needed to get a racket in my hand.”
Shortly after, her mom signed her up for lessons.
A Raleigh native, Roach acquired five state championships at Broughton High School. Although she kept her options open when choosing a college, she always knew she would end up at NC State.
Her brother, Will Roach, played basketball under Herb Sendek while he attended NC State.
“A lot of my family went here,” said Roach. “Plus, I remember the tennis team coming to my elementary school and reading to us.”
Roach quickly adapted to the sisterhood atmosphere of the team. In high school, tennis was an individual sport. In college, it is more team oriented. Aside from hours of daily workouts the team watches movies and goes out to eat together.
"From spending all of this time together we bond very quickly," said Roach. "They're like my sisters."
As a junior, Roach has taken several leadership roles on the team including the position as one of the captains.
"Julia is very outgoing and social," said assistant coach Mait DuBois. "She's like the energizer bunny. She really keeps everyone's spirits up."
A sports management major, Roach originally wanted to coach college tennis, but that has changed. Now her focus has been shifted towards working with kids.
“All of my coaches growing up were great role models and I’d like to have a positive impact on kids lives,” said Roach.
Outside of tennis Roach is very close with her family. On campus they can be found tailgating before football and basketball games. Off campus they
have big dinners where friends are welcomed. They also eat lunch together after church on most Sundays.
She is also involved in Campus Crusade for Christ and Fellowship of Christian Athletes weekly Bible studies.
“I’d like people to see me as a Christian first and an athlete second.”
With so many commitments that make up her daily schedule it's hard to comprehend how she keeps everything balanced.
"I have to use the little breaks during my day to study and get everything done," said Roach. "I try to get all of my work done early so I can relax as much as possible at night."
So she continues watching movies and eating out with her teammates. She continues spending time with her family. And she continues working toward the NCAA tournament.
"Julia is very balanced and really knows who she is," said DuBois. "She's a hard worker. There's no ceiling to how good she can be."
