Alexandra Brinker could take all the credit for being one of the top tennis players in the state.
But really, she didn't have much of a choice.
"I guess I was kind of born into it," she said.
She's not kidding. Her tennis career actually began at just a year old, when her grandfather put a ping pong paddle in her hand.
"And that developed the hand-eye coordination," Brinker said. "And then I started playing tennis when I was five."
Her tennis-playing family took it from there. Her father and both of her older brothers played in college, and passed on all their knowledge to her.
"Just when you think you may have her on the run," Kingsmen coach Eric Bowers said, "she comes back with a great forehand."
That forehand took Brinker all the way to a third place finish at the state finals last year, losing only to the state champ.
"I think she's only lost (in the) regular season once or twice in the past three years," Bowers said.
Brinker will follow the family example, and also play in college. She's got a scholarship to Xavier for tennis, but also for choir. She's the definition of a well-rounded student, even finding time to volunteer raising money for the Ronald McDonald House.
All while earning a 3.7 GPA. In fact, academics were the biggest part of why she chose Xavier.
"They had a special program that I really wanted to get into, which I did," Brinker said. "It's called 'Philosophy, Politics and the Public.'
"My dream is to be an FBI agent. Well, not an agent, but to work for the FBI."
Hopefully the FBI has a ping pong table.
