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Elizabeth Shu grew up thinking playing NCAA Division I tennis was the path she should aspire to follow.

“The goal was always D1, because everyone around us was like, ‘Oh my God. D1 is so good.’ But as I got older, I realized that D1 is just a lot of tennis. It’s a lot more than I could handle, physically and mentally,” Shu said. “That's when I thought D3 is probably a better way to go. I can balance my tennis and my education a lot better.”

Shu first heard about Babson College from a group of parents at a tournament. One of them recommended the school to Shu because she was interested in studying business in college. The four-star senior from Sugar Land, Texas reached out to the Babson coaches and arranged a visit.

“I really liked the whole team. Everyone was super into training, but at the same time, into academics. I really liked that about them,” said Shu, who has committed to play for the Beavers. “Also, it’s in Massachusetts, which is further away from home, and I want to get out and explore around, because I've stayed in Texas my whole life.”

Shu’s parents came to the United States from China and met while playing tennis. She and her two siblings swam competitively until her older brother decided to switch to tennis. Shu and her younger sister made the switch as well.

“Before, I didn't really take tennis seriously. My dad grew up playing tennis. He played a little bit of college tennis back in China,” she said. “He tried to get us into it, but it wasn’t until my brother made the change that I also started really liking the sport. I think it just clicked with me.”

Along with playing USTA tournaments, Shu is a member of the Clements High tennis team. Last May, she placed second at state in regional mixed doubles.

Outside of tennis, Shu enjoys playing video games and reading.

“The genre I like is 100% romance,” Shu said of her book preferences. “I know it's cliche, like all the girls like romance. But for me, it’s one of the things I can take comfort in.”

Shu’s hopes to take advantage of Babson’s strong academic standing to pursue a career in business. Babson was ranked the second best college in America, according to the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. report.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve been really interested in money, like how it moves,” Shu said. “I was really into economics this year as well, and I think that just solidified my interest in business as a whole, and probably somewhere around like finance and econ.”

Although she’s happy for friends who competed at the Division I level, Shu is glad she found a more holistic college program that better suits her needs.

“I am excited about the competition at Babson, academically and for tennis,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a lot more competitive in college than high school and I am looking forward to that new competition.”

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About Rhiannon Potkey

Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories. Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches. Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You can reach Rhiannon by email at rhiannon@tennisrecruiting.net.