Elvie Sellers was voted Duke Automotive player of the week after winning both her singles and doubles tennis matches for the Lady Saints last week. In those two days, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy went 2-0.

Sellers is a senior at NSA. She is the No. 1 singles player for the team, and she is one-half of the top doubles team for the Lady Saints. The NSA tennis team is currently on its way to states, where Sellers will be competing.

“It is a tremendous feeling,” Sellers said of being voted player of the week. “I’m truly thankful my friends, teachers, coaches, and friends took the time out of their busy schedules to think of me and helped me achieve this.”

Sellers is enjoying a season in which she was named first-team All-Conference in singles and doubles. Sellers says that her last high-school season has been good, despite a few rough patches with a few difficult opponents.

“This season has been pretty good for me,” Sellers said. “I had difficulty on a couple of occasions. Overcoming those moments and thinking through the points is something I’ve gotten better at every year. This season, I believe, has been one of the better ones, because I have learned so much from the game from both my teammates and coaches.”

Sellers has made herself so easy to coach. She competes in the offseason and works hard all year. Her strong work ethic makes her fun to coach, according to her coach Sheryl Raulston. Sellers is also the team co-captain and a solid leader and role model for her team.

“She has been No. 1 in singles and doubles for at least the last three years,” Raulston said. “She has been named first-team All-Conference in singles and doubles for all three years and has been named to the All-State team for the past three years, also. She has led the NSA team to be in the final four in the state for the past three years. We will miss her next year.”

Sellers’ team motivates her to be better each and every match. With her competitive drive, she hates losing or not giving it her best effort, which keeps her motivated at all times. Her doubles partner, Allison Gottlieb, believes Sellers is an even better person off the court.

“Not only is she a dedicated player, but she is an even better student,” Gottlieb said of Sellers. “She is more than just a doubles partner. We have known each other for years and are simply the best of friends. We hang out with each other, constantly laughing about anything and everything. I have had a great time playing with her and can’t believe the season flew by as quickly as it did.”

Sellers will attend Wake Forest next year, where she will major in pre-med. Wake Forest was the first college she toured, and she fell in love with it. Its pre-med program is rigorous.

In her spare time, Sellers likes to skateboard and play music.