Jessica Seyferth became the tennis player she is today on the courts in Ann Arbor.

The 2007 Pioneer High School graduate and senior captain of the Wisconsin women’s tennis team returns to those courts this weekend, hoping her tennis-playing career doesn't quite come full circle at the Big Ten Tournament.

“I really couldn’t ask for a better venue for my last Big Ten Tournament,” said Seyferth, a three-time Ann Arbor News Player of the Year. “It’ll be pretty awesome playing on the courts I grew up hitting on and have a comfort level. It’s extra motivation to win.”

Playing in front of family, friends and old coaches in her hometown is second on Seyferth's list of ideal places to end her career. She’d much rather have it extended by helping her team qualify for the NCAA Championships.

If it weren’t for the courts at Michigan, Seyferth may have never blossomed into the tennis player she is, or came to be, period.

Her parents, Sharon and Steve Seyferth, met while they were undergraduates at Michigan. Steve was a member of the baseball team while Sharon played tennis for the Wolverines.

Seyferth grew up in Ann Arbor loving football Saturdays in the fall. By the time she had blossomed into a Division I talent, she still wanted to enjoy football Saturdays, but wanted to expand her horizons. She chose Madison, Wis.

When Seyferth arrived on Wisconsin's campus, the coach who recruited her, Patti Henderson, had been replaced by Brian Fleishman. The coaching change caused some initial anxiety, which was put to rest in relatively short order.

“The first meeting I had with Jessica was at her freshman orientation and she just told me how excited she was to start classes and to start practice,” Fleishman said. “It was great to see right away her level of excitement, but you still have no idea the skill level and what she’ll bring to the team.”

Fleishman obviously liked what transpired after that initial meeting. He named Seyferth a team captain after her sophomore season.

“She let it be known how much cared about the team. Even as an underclassmen, she stepped up and has shown great leadership,” Fleishman said. "She has contributed tremendously to the growth of the program."

Tennis is a sport where accomplishments in individual tournaments trump high school success. Many of the best blue chippers don’t even compete at the prep level for this reason. Seyferth did, winning team and individual state titles as a junior and runner-up honors in both as a senior at Pioneer.

Under the tutelage of coach Tom Pullen at Pioneer, Seyferth said she learned invaluable lessons that she said couldn't have picked up on the individual circuit.

"I learned a lot about playing for the team under Brick," Seyferth said, using Pullen's nickname. "That's helped me a lot in college because everything is all about the team in college."

If the No. 5-seeded Badgers defeat No. 4 Ohio State on Friday, they will likely play regular season champions Michigan for a chance to advance to the tournament final. Count Pullen among those who will be cheering against the top-seeded home team should that scenario transpire.

“We’re going to cheer on Jessica. It doesn’t matter what school she goes to,” Pullen said. “She’s one of the finest tennis players to ever come through Pioneer, a great person and a great leader. You can’t say enough good things about her.”

Seyferth, the only senior on Wisconsin’s team, doesn’t know which flight she’ll play this weekend. She’s been at No. 4, 5 and 6 singles this season. Or, in her words, “wherever coach decides the team needs me.”

In order for this to not be the final weekend of her college tennis playing career, the Badgers will need to pull a major upset of Michigan in a semifinal. The Wolverines went 10-0 in conference play this season.

“It would kind of be a story book ending for her,” Flieshman said. “I can’t think of a better way for her to end her career.”

Seyferth can.

“You never know what’s going to happen at Big Tens,” Seyferth said. “Hopefully we can make things happen this weekend.”

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.