Henritte Williams Destroys Opponents, Tests

With a career 112 wins and just four loses, she finished her senior season with a 35-0 record in which she did not drop a set.

"I think she's special because of her aggressiveness, and the way she attacks her opponents," Broughton tennis coach Steve Spivey said. "She never lets up. She's always on the go. She practices a lot and makes herself go out at all hours of the day to hit balls, so when she goes on the court, she's confident. She's gone from being an above-average high school player to probably one of the top 20 players in America."

While Williams never lost a set this season, she also never made a grade less than an A in the classroom. She says excelling both athletically and academically has been hard, but worth it.

"Academics has pushed me athletically because once you excel in something, it makes you want to do well in everything else," Williams said. "I guess the dedication to my school work made me feel like I needed to be dedicated to tennis as well."

"I think she is somewhat of a perfectionist, in the best sense, whether it is in the class or obviously in tennis as well," Broughton teacher Lynne Meisenheimer said. "She raises the game for herself continually."

"She is just motivated to be her best," Spivey said. "I think she really is in school, in the community and on the tennis court. She tries to do the very best job that she can, and I think that transcends every facet of her life."

Henritte Williams is a state champion, an A student and this week's winner of the Extra Effort Award.