2010 ALL-EMPIRE TENNIS: GIRLS TENNIS:PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Emily Gould, Montgomery, junior

This makes it two straight years Montgomery's Emily Gould has been the best girls high school player in the Redwood Empire. In 2010, the junior was 14-0 against North Bay League competition and even more impressively, she lost only 12 of 144 games in conference singles competition.

"Her perseverance and patience are what impresses me most," Vikings coach Mary Lehman said. "She never gives up trying to run down a ball and she takes her time formulating points. Also, she's gotten stronger and that makes her serve even more difficult to return."

Gould led the Vikings to the NBL title and finished the season with a 20-2 mark. The right-hander is ranked No. 43 by NorCal USTA in the 16-and-under division.

Working on her game daily with her parents, Tresi Yinger and Dan Gould (both accomplished players), Gould is an odds-on favorite to make it an Empire three-peat as a senior.

-- Howard Senzell,

for The Press Democrat