EDITOR’S NOTE — The original article has been updated to provide further context to Quitman tennis’ history with the MAC All-Star game.

Tennis was never on Niyah Strickland’s mind until she saw her sister playing one day the summer before Strickland’s fifth-grade year.

Quitman tennis coach Jennie Vance is glad Strickland decided to pick up the sport, as Strickland found out Monday she had made the Mississippi Association of Coaches’ All-Star roster. She is the first female from Quitman to be able to play in the game. Martha Baldwin was the school’s first female selection in 2009 but was unable to play in the game, and Nicholas Gunning was also selected to the boys’ All-Star roster in 2006.

A Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College signee, Strickland capped off her senior season as the girls MHSAA Region 5-4A champion and made it all the way to the state semifinal round of the Class 4A state tournament. Though she knew Vance had nominated her for the MAC All-Star team, Strickland admitted she was surprised when she found out she actually made it.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ because it was just wow,” Strickland said. “The first thing I did was text my mom, and she high five’d me.”

Watching her older sister, Juaneke George, play tennis left a lasting impression on Strickland, who had never given the sport serious thought before fifth grade.

“I finally went to one of her practices and said, ‘OK, Mom, I want to do this,’” Strickland said. “I was just so excited, I begged her to put me in lessons, and I’ve been playing ever since.”

Vance said Strickland has a strong serve and is quick on the court, which allowed her to make the state tournament her seventh-, ninth- and 12th-grade seasons for Quitman. The COVID-19 pandemic robbed her of a chance to play in the state tournament her sophomore and junior seasons, but Vance said Strickland continued to improve as a player, especially by playing outside of her high school team through USTA.

“She’s been able to beat kids who have been getting lessons their whole life,” Vance said. “She’s strong, hard-working and doesn’t give up.”

In this year’s Class 4A girls singles state semifinals, Strickland went up against Caledonia’s Sunny Logan, who has a high school record of 80-0. Though she lost the match, 6-0, 6-1, Strickland said she was pleased with her performance.

“Throughout the game it was me just placing the ball in the right places because (Logan) controls the court really well — it was just defense, if that makes sense,” Strickland said. “We went to deuce and ad every game, I just couldn’t close it out.”

Vance watched the entire match and came away even more impressed with her senior.

“She was the only player who gave Sunny a match that lasted more than a few minutes,” Vance said. “She broke her twice on serve and was the only player to score on her the entire state tournament. Niyah was pleased; she knew she played hard, and they had some really long rallies where the point could have gone either way.”

Overall, Strickland said her high school tennis career was a rewarding experience, especially since she was able to attract other students at Quitman to the sport.

“People would tell me they can beat me, people who had never even thought about tennis before,” Strickland joked. “They still keep going with that, saying, ‘I’ll beat you one day.’”

Next for Strickland is Gulf Coast, a place she said felt like home when she took her official visit to the Perkinston campus.

“My mom told me I would know (which college was for me) when I got on campus, and I had four or five offers, and when I went I was just so happy to be there,” Strickland said. “The environment was just something different. I also met all my teammates, and they were nice, and they have a good tennis program.”

Vance said she’s sad to lose Strickland, especially since she also played basketball for Vance’s Lady Panthers, but she’s looking forward to following Strickland’s collegiate career.

“I think her best tennis is ahead of her,” Vance said. “I think she’ll be a Division I tennis player.”

Strickland is the daughter of Shonda and Rico Strickland.