BUTLER TWP - Natalie Jenereski never had to look far to find a tennis role model.

Her mother, Caroline, has played most of her life and is now a year-round local tournament player. Her older sister, Melissa, went on to play at Allegheny College and is now a tennis staff assistant at Butler Country Club.

Jenereski herself has been playing at Butler Country Club for 10 years under longtime club pro Whitney Snyder.

"He's taught me everything I know about the game," she said.

She knows quite a bit.

Jenereski played No. 1 singles at Knoch High School the past two years and, like her older sister, was a member of the Lady Knights' tennis team for four years.

She got through the first round of the WPIAL singles tournament her senior year and reached the state meet in doubles with partner Chelsea Gibson.

"Natalie has gone about this the right way," Snyder said. "She's been playing here since she was 8, but only recently has gotten into a busy tournament schedule.

"A lot of young kids play a lot of tournaments right away and by the time they're 14, they're burned out. Natalie is still very enthused about the sport and it shows."

Jenereski is ranked No. 2 in her age division in the Allegheny Mountain Middle States Region of the United States Tennis Association. It is her highest ranking ever.

"She never used to play in enough tournaments to get ranked," Snyder said. "But she's been a quality player for a long time."

A former volleyball player at Knoch and a snowboarder on the ski team, Jenereski combines athleticism and a positive attitude on the court.

Snyder said she doesn't let the game get to her mentally.

"She hits a bad shot, she shrugs it off and moves on," he said. "A lot of kids can't do that. Her positive attitude is refreshing."

Butler High School coach Alisa Green - a first-year assistant pro at Butler Country Club - hasn't seen Jenereski play many matches.

But she's seen her practice.

"She's a strong player, very well-rounded," Green said. "She never misses a practice and she's very intense in practice."

Jenereski said she developed interest in the sport through watching her mother play.

"My mom's had a big influence on me," she said. "Watching her play competitive tournaments for so long made me want to do the same thing.

"I enjoy tennis. It's a gentleman's sport … Everyone's nice on the court and I've enjoyed the people I've met. And I know it's a sport I can play my whole life."

Even against her mother.

"She can beat me," Jenereski said. "She's very good. I can see us playing doubles together in some tournaments down the road. I want that to happen."

Jenereski will stay sharp on the court at Ithaca College, a Division III school in New York. She will be a member of the Bombers' women's tennis team, which has won the Empire 8 Conference twice in the past five years.

Ithaca is 50-36 over the past five years, including 10-8 last year. The squad had just one senior among its 10 players in 2004-05.

Jenereski will major in radio and television broadcasting at Ithaca.

"I never had a long-term goal of playing college tennis, but once I realized it was an attainable goal a couple of years ago, I pursued it," she said.

Her sister played No. 5 singles at Allegheny her freshman year before leaving the program to concentrate on her studies. She's majoring in psychology.

"Natalie is much more into tennis than I was at that time," Melissa Jenereski said. "She'll stay with it. She'll keep working to get better."

As good as she's gotten, Natalie Jenereski hasn't forgotten where she came from.

"She puts in a lot of time with the younger kids in our program," Snyder said. "Natalie's never gotten too big to do that. She's never lost sight of the team aspect in tennis and I doubt she ever will.

"That seems to be the aspect of the sport she enjoys most."

She enjoys the family aspect as well.

"I think I've taken my mother for granted," she said. "She'll watch me play a match, then tell me my footwork's off or my swing's not right.

"Sometimes you don't want to hear it, but I'm lucky to have her."

And Ithaca may be lucky to have Jenereski.