Black finishes high school career at North-South All-Star Cup

Jun. 15—PENDLETON — During her high school career, Natalie Black has seen a lot of growth in her tennis game, and has been a key factor in the Eagles' success over the past two seasons.

Last weekend, she had the opportunity to represent Zionsville at the ICGSA North-South All-Star Cup.

"I was really grateful to be be nominated for it," Black said this week. "I had really never heard of it before, and the more I learned, I realized it was a big honor and I was excited to be a part of it."

Black was the first All-Star from Zionsville since 2010.

For a program that has seen a lot of success over the years, Black said it was a good feeling to be in that select company.

"I hadn't known that, but it does make it even more special," Black said. "We made it pretty far last year and to be part of the cup this year was really special."

Black did well in the Cup, going undefeated in her three matches with two wins and a draw.

She played in the No. 1 doubles spot in each round, partnering with Delta's Janet Wegener and Westfield's Alana Raymond.

"It was really cool to be hang out with some people from different schools, honestly some schools that I have never heard of," Black said. "I met some really great players and it was fun to play with (Wegener and Raymond). It was fun to diversify my partners and who I was playing against."

The All-Star Cup was a worthy honor for Black, who had a fantastic season at No. 3 singles for Zionsville this spring.

After being a doubles player the previous two years, including all-state honors a year ago, she moved to No. 3 singles this year and became a steady force for Zionsville in that spot.

She earned all-conference honors by winning the No. 3 singles bracket at the HCC Tournament this year.

"I kind of expected to play doubles again this year, because that is what I played sophomore and junior year," Black said. "When I got put at singles I was a little nervous at first, but by the end I felt really confident in my ability to play at any position. That gives me a little more confidence heading into college knowing I can play both."

Black was a key piece of helping take the Zionsville program to a high level over the last two years.

They reached the state quarterfinals last year for the first time since 2010 and were ranked high in the state all of this season.

While their run was cut short in the regional final, Black said she wouldn't trade her Zionsville tennis experience for anything.

"This year was a little unfortunate ending that I don't think any of us were prepared for to end that early, but it was one of the best decisions of my life to play tennis for Zionsville," Black said. "I made so many friends and the coaches were great and I couldn't ask for a better program to be a part of."

And she knows the program is in good hands moving forward.

"There are a ton of middle schoolers coming in and the program has grown a ton," Black said. "Everyone is happy to be there and enthusiastic to get better. It is good to see that and I am excited to come back and see them in the future."

Black will attend Centre College to play tennis starting in the fall.

She said there are a few things she wants to work on in her game, but she is excited for the challenge of college tennis.

"Everyone always has something to work on," Black said. "For me, I want to be more aggressive and tuning up my game to be ready to play a higher level of tennis."

It wasn't an easy path for Black to get to be a college-level player, but her hard work and dedication to the sport helped her reach her goals.

She said her advice for young players coming up is to continue to work hard, and if you do, you will see the results.

"Hard work does pay off," Black said. "Work as hard as you can in the off-season and it will show once you get to tryouts. I started in sixth grade, which is kind of late in tennis and I wasn't even on JV, I was on the developmental team. So you can work your way up if you keep working hard."

Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.