Having fun has been hard work for Katie Blow.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch girls high school athlete of the year had the senior season she dreamed of, leading Mills Godwin to the Group AAA team tennis title, the doubles title with partner Nicole Parker, and the singles title.

"That was the weekend I had graduation and I was traveling back and forth," Blow said. "I had baccalaureate, so . . . I played a doubles match, left early for baccalaureate, went to my singles match, left Northern Virginia to come back for graduation and then went back up.

"Then, looking back on it that Saturday night, I was like -- 'Wow. This is as good as it gets.'"

That week was almost relaxed compared with the schedule Blow maintained her junior year. Becoming only the second player to sweep all three girls Group AAA titles took an intimidating amount of work.

Besides her high school coach, Blow has taken lessons from Eddie Parker -- the father of her doubles partner -- for the past four years. She works with a personal trainer. Colleges recruit tennis players from huge national showcases, so Blow traveled the country, from Memphis for clay court matches and San Francisco for hard court matches.

"My schedule was go to school, go to tennis, do my homework, and go to bed every day," she said. "That's what it was, and I didn't have time for anything else. On the weekends, I'd go to tournaments, and if I did well, I was there till Monday, so I'd miss school on Monday. Last year, it was just . . . it was crazy."

The Eagles won a team title Blow's junior year -- one of five in the past seven years. And as nice as the team title is, as much as Blow loves team tennis, losing in straight sets in the singles finals wasn't the way she wanted to end the season.

As a sophomore in 2002, Lindsey Howard had led Godwin to the AAA trifecta. Although James Madison High School had produced singles, doubles and team champions in 1990, Howard was at that time the only individual to have played on all three courts.

"It's tough," Howard said. " . . . To come back out after winning as a team and knowing you have a singles draw and a doubles draw to get through, and in Virginia it's usually a hundred-plus degrees every day. So it's exhausting, physically and mentally."

By the time Blow landed on the Eagles varsity as a freshman, Howard was a senior. The age difference kept them from seeing much of each other, but they'd crossed paths at Raintree Swim & Racquet Club, where both trained.

The two made an impression on each other, though. Howard was successful in a way that Blow aspired to be. And Blow was determined.

"She's such a hard worker," Howard said. "Day in and day out, she pushes herself. . . . She's kept getting better and better. Just her work ethic is probably the thing I remember the most."

Blow will take that work ethic to Virginia Tech as part of a 2008 recruiting class ranked 11th in the nation by tennisrecruiting.com. The ACC is a tough conference, but the Hokies have room for Blow to contribute right away as the team works to improve.

And for Blow, getting better is lots of fun.