Si Update

Whitney Taney
FACES IN THE CROWD
JAN. 24, 2005
SHORTLY AFTER she took up tennis at age nine, it became apparent that Whitney Taney was going to be quite good at it. But instead of doing what many prodigies do and head off to a tennis academy, Whitney decided she didn't want her life to be dominated by tennis. So, much to the delight of her parents and Edina ( Minn.) High coach Steve Paulsen, she stayed home and played for the Hornets. She made the varsity in seventh grade; last Saturday her high school career came to an end when she beat Tooli Wilkins of Burnsville High for the Class AA state championship. The win ran Whitney's career record to 166--0, believed to be the longest streak in high school tennis history. "I was pretty emotional out there," Whitney (above) said after the match, "because I've had so much fun and made so many friends playing high school tennis, and this is my last day."

Whitney, who dropped only two sets in her career, has orally committed to Michigan. Paulsen knows that her streak will eventually end, but he expects his star—who relies on brains, not brawn—to excel at the next level. "She's unbelievably consistent," says Paulsen. "She's not overpowering by any means. She has a mind-set that's very rare. She's super methodical, and you have to play the perfect point to beat her."