A picture of health

Off the court and on, eyes tend to follow Libertyville senior Dena Boulieris.

Boulieris, who is on track to earn a Division I scholarship, combines tennis with modeling.

"It's really cool to do more than one thing," she said. "I love tennis and being athletic, so tennis is definitely my tomboy side. Modeling is my girly side."

While Boulieris enjoys modeling, her biggest passion remains tennis.

"I'm more comfortable focusing on my game," she said.

Having finally shed the injury issues that have dogged her the last two years, she is poised for a breakthrough season.

"Anybody that has gone through that injury stuff and is still competing is motivated and has a tremendous attitude," said Mark Bey, who has worked with Boulieris for the last four years. Bey is the director of Care Academy, which is designed to help elite junior players improve their rankings and earn college scholarships.

"She's motivated and is one of the most well-liked girls in the area."

During her sophomore season, Boulieris began to experience persistent pain in her right leg. It limited her ability to cover the court and was a consistent source of frustration.

The pain continued throughout most of her junior year. It made it hard for her to play singles at her normal level, so she played a lot of doubles for Libertyville.

"It was very frustrating because it wasn't something you could just go ice and have it go away," she said.

Finally, in May, it gradually went away. This allowed Boulieris to practice more and play additional tournaments.

"I have better footwork and can run better," she said. "I'm not thinking about the injury anymore. I'm able to just play tennis."

Tennis runs in the family. Both of Boulieris' parents play, and her older brother, Niko, is a sophomore tennis player for Marquette University.

Boulieris hits with her brother whenever she has the chance.

"Guys hit so much harder so it's good to get used to that pace," she said.

Niko Boulieris said he always enjoys practicing with his sister.

"When I hit with her, I don't have to tone it down," he said. "I'll hit it hard and she'll rally right with me. Her forehand is a weapon and her serve is getting a lot stronger."

The Libertyville girls are happy to have Boulieris back at full strength.

"She's so focused when she plays, and she's very committed to the team," senior Sharon Lo said. "You can always hear her cheering from the other side of the court. She's always motivating us to do our best."

Boulieris hopes her best tennis this season yields a trip to state.

"That would be awesome," she said. "I would definitely love to go to state."

If she plays to her potential this season, the eyes of college coaches will be on her.

And the spotlight is something she is quite comfortable with.