Sandy Dennett has come a long way in a short time.

Just three-and-a-half years into her tennis career, the Auburn senior already has an impressive list of accomplishments to her credit.

In 2008, a little more than a year after first picking up a racket competitively, Dennett found her way into the Washington State 3A tourney.

Last season she mounted an undefeated South Puget Sound League North 4A campaign, going 14-0, taking home third in the West Central District 3A tourney and again finding her way into the state tourney.

But so far, one achievement has eluded Dennett – a state placement.

“That was one of the reasons why I’m putting quite a bit of time in the off season,” Dennett said. “Hopefully that will pay off.

For the past couple of seasons Dennett trained at the now defunct Ballys fitness in Puyallup. With the closure of that gym, however, Dennett upped the ante and trained this past winter at the prestigious Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club.

“I put in a lot of time over the winter,” Dennett said. “It’s a great club the coaches are amazing and it’s just a great place to train.”

According to Dennett she trained for two hours a day, four days a week, benefitting from the club’s impressive roster of high school players, as well as the stable of accomplished coaches.

“There are some of the best juniors in the Northwest who train there,” she said. “The group lessons are really high caliber. The workouts are great.”

In addition to Dennett, reigning state 4A singles champ Megan Cassens of Decatur, as well as Gig Harbor’s Christy Sipes, the 2008 4A singles champ, also train at the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club.

Combined, the higher level of training, instruction and competition have made her a better player and better prepared for her 2010 campaign, Dennett said.

“I hope so, otherwise my parents have wasted a lot of money,” she said.

Although her success the past couple of years may carry higher expectations for Dennett, she said they don’t weigh too heavily on her shoulders.

“A lot of the good girls have graduated so it’s been easy this year,” she said.

So far this season Dennett has cut a swathe through the SPSL North, compiling a perfect 4-0 record and giving up just three points in her first four meets.

“I definitely want to go undefeated in league play,” Dennett said. “I would really like to improve at district maybe get second or at least third again. And then take home a medal from state.”

In addition to her individual success, Dennett said she expects big things for her team again this year.

“We’ve won league the past two years and I think we all want to win it again,” she said. “All the girls are working really hard. We’re solid, it’s just a matter of working out all the kinks and figuring out who plays best with who.”

After this year, Dennett said she hasn’t concreted her plans for college yet, but she hoped to be able to take her game to the next level.

“I’d like to play college tennis, I didn’t really think about it until just recently,” she said. “I’ve looked into it a little bit, but I’m not sure where. I’ve looked at couple of schools and talked to the coach at Seattle University and they seemed interested.”

Dennett and the Trojan girls tennis team will play at Kentwood at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and host Kentlake at 3:30 p.m. April 22.