Girls athlete of the week
// The Post-Gazette’s top female performer from the past seven days
The past week: Williams defeated Upper St. Clair senior Maggie Stief, 6-1, 6-0, to win the WPIAL Class 3A girls tennis singles title.
Check this out: Williams is currently the No. 3-ranked freshman in the state behind Elizabeth Ionescu of York and Nina Costalas of Malvern. With the win over Stief, she became the first freshman to win the singles title in the higher of the two classifications since Latrobe’s Michaela Kissell in 2003.
What was it like playing in windy conditions like it was at
WPIALs? When it’s windy, it’s really hard to adjust to, especially on the serve. It wasn’t too bad when we finished.
Is your game better suited for indoors or outdoors? I think it’s suited for both. But I definitely like playing indoors.
Coming in as the No. 1 seed, how did you deal with those expectations? I knew that I was playing the two-seed, so I knew it was going to be a good match. I hadn’t played her in a couple of years, so it was nice to play her again.
When did you start playing tennis? I started when I was 4. I was in a goodwill with my dad and I saw an old wooden tennis racquet and I thought it looked cool. Nobody in my family had ever played tennis before, but I thought it looked cool, so it was cool to me.
Did you ever think when you picked up a wooden racquet you’d end up here? No. Definitely not.
What goes into your practice routine? I’m always trying to work on something. Not in matches, but in training. I’m always trying to improve on something or work on something.
What is the strength of your game? I definitely have power. I use a lot of power, especially on my serve.
What do you like most about the sport? I just love to play. I love to hit. It’s just fun. I’ve always loved it and I still love it.
How is it now playing for a team rather than just going to circuit tournaments as an individual? It’s definitely different, but I’m fortunate that I have an amazing team. I love everybody on our team. They’re all great and have definitely made it easier to be on a team.
What do you do when you’re not playing tennis? Homework.
That’s all I really have time for. Homework and reading. That’s pretty much my life.
What are you reading right now? I like true crime and unsolved stuff. It’s just cool to me.
What are you streaming on Netflix? I just finished Stranger Things.
How does a teenager in the 2020s pick up on all the 1980s references? I don’t really understand most of it sometimes. I watch it with my mom and she explains it to me. She was around then.