Call her Mrs. Tennis.

Lorriane Gilson has earned that moniker.

For 28 years, Gilson has coached the Grove City High School boys tennis team. Many of the players in the team she has coached at early ages through a summer camp.

"They are like little seedlings, saplings," Gilson said.

When they get to high school, though, they are like Venus flytraps, pulling down wins and championships with speed and precision.

Gilson sports a 234-80 career record at Grove City that includes two undefeated seasons, seven Tri-County championships in the last 14 years, a Mercer County Athletic Conference championship and 19 straight winning seasons.

There is even a "Lorraine Gilson Day" in Grove City.

"I am very, very proud," Gilson said. "I've spent a good part of my life for the tennis team."

The key to Gilson's success is grabbing players at a young age.

She runs a skills camp for children, and that usually gets them hooked on the sport.

It did for Ian Smith, who is one of Grove City's top tennis players this season.

"I've been around her for awhile, and I've gotten to be very close to her," Smith said. "She's basically the reason why I kept on playing tennis."

She's also the reason why there is tennis at the Grove City High School.

Gilson took over the program 28 years ago when it appeared the team was going to fold.

She had played tennis before, dabbling in it at Slippery Rock University, but field hockey was her sport.

While her skills were adequate, her daughter's skills were far superior.

Carrie Gilson was a standout player, and her mother didn't want to see those talents wasted.

"They were going to drop the tennis program," Lorraine Gilson said. "I hated to see that happen to (Carrie)."

So Gilson took over the program and learned much about the sport in her first few years as the coach.

At the time, she wasn't sure how long she wanted to be the coach.

"I applied for it every year," Gilson said. "I ended up loving it."

Gilson is part coach and part mother figure for her players. At the end of every season, she makes a scrapbook for her senior players.

A retired physical education, anatomy and science teacher, she often calls her players to see how they fared on a test or how they are dealing with an injury.

"She definitely takes care of us more than any other coach I've seen," Smith said. "If we have something going on, she'll call to see how we are doing. I hurt my arm and she called to check up on me."

When Gilson retired from teaching in 1993, she had one stipulation.

"I wouldn't retire if they wouldn't let me coach," Gilson said. "I would miss my boys too much."

Gilson still fills in at the school as a substitute teacher.

She also minds the ticket counter at school plays and sporting events throughout the school year.

Gilson has no timetable on retirement from coaching. When asked about it, she bristles.

"Please don't ask me that," Gilson said. "I guess it depends on my heath. Right now, I'm feeling good."

Gilson has an uncanny ability to see flaws in her players' strokes. Sometimes subtle, she can still point them out and correct them.

She also has a complicated system to evaluate matches. She can take home match reports, which are charted by her freshmen players, look at them and see exactly where her players gave away points in a match.

"She definitely points them out," Smith said. "She can see when your head isn't right and when your stroke is just a little bit off."

Over the years, Gilson has had to adjust her coaching style a little bit.

As times change, so do the players.

"I don't think it's just tennis, but all other sports. Children don't focus as much. You almost have to light a fire under them. Their get-up-and-go got up and went."

Still, Gilson has a way of getting the most out of her talent - a key skill for any coach.

More than 230 wins attest to the fact she is doing something right.

"She puts a lot of hard work and heart into it," Smith said. "She's just a really caring person."