Former Net Rushers Player has Standout Career at MICDS

And she did. Repeatedly. Emphatically. With the help of coaches from Net Rushers Tennis Association — a nonprofit that provides free tennis lessons with a focus on the African-American youth community — White blossomed into a standout performer. She had a terrific prep career at MICDS and is now attending Hampton University this year.

“Net Rushers had a summer program I went to every single Sunday,” White said. “They still have it actually. I went to that from a pretty young age. They had up-and-coming people who were really successful in the sport who looked like me, so it was pretty inspirational.

“They also had different educational aspects. I remember they had chess club and reading. For the older kids, they had ACT prep. I really liked how they didn’t just focus on tennis. But rather focused on positive things for black youth trying to play a nontraditionally black sport.”

White gave back to the Net Rushers organization by volunteering to help teach the little kids this past summer. It isn’t lost on White that she is returning the favor to black children in the same way that she herself learned tennis and life lessons from older players.

“Not even just in tennis — but in life in general — I can be a role model to other black girls,” White said. “For tennis, them seeing someone who is really passionate about it and really good. Representation is super important, as is confidence level and inspiring people.”

White competed in a multitude of USTA offerings throughout her youth career, including junior tournaments, Futures events and Junior Team Tennis. She starred at St. Louis powerhouse MICDS, leading the Rams to a second-place team finish at state her senior year.

White was a three-time MSHSAA state qualifier on the individual ledger. She collected a third-place finish at state in singles action her junior year. The season prior, White teamed with Nia Cooper to reach the state semifinals in doubles. And during her freshman campaign, White paired with Caleigh McClain to earn a fifth-place medal in doubles.

“I love — I absolutely love — the way you can put your own twist on the tennis court,” White said. “No two people play the same. I can go out and use touch sometimes. I can go out and crush a forehand. The person I’m playing never knows which shot I’m going to hit. Just being unique is really fun.”

For her efforts on the tennis court but mostly off it, White received a $10,000 scholarship for college from the USTA Foundation. The Donald Lawson Tisdel Scholarship is awarded annually to high school seniors who have excelled academically, demonstrated community service and participated in an organized tennis program. White penned an essay detailing how tennis has shaped her life and the morals she’s learned from the sport.

“I talked about how tennis has inspired me to be resilient and persevere,” she said. “Also, there are multiple ways to get to the right answer. You don’t have to do something one set way to be successful. You can adapt. Because in tennis, you do have to adapt a lot.”

White intends to study African-American history at Hampton University, a historically black college located in Virginia. After completing that, White would like to study anthropology. She said she’s “pretty nervous” about going away to school but “also equally excited.”

White advised younger players to develop a strong foundation in understanding who they are as a person. She said disallowing others who try to make young athletes “feel less than” is crucial, as that stems from a place of fear. White said everyone has a place at the table — in tennis and beyond.

“Black girls getting to see me be successful in an area they don’t see us being successful in a lot is really important to me,” White said. “It can inspire them to not only pursue tennis further, but to pursue other things they might feel like they can’t because they’re put in a box.”