Lauren Trumbull’s tennis career did not have a conventional start.

All but forced to end her time with gymnastics when her coach was injured, Trumbull’s parents asked her to look into another sport. So she pointed to tennis without even knowing the name of it.

“I just wanted to know what it was,” said Trumbull, who started at 8 years old. “It was a big ‘ol court and this little, tiny ball that you had to get in through there. I was like, ‘how does it get in?’”

Trumbull, 15, a rising junior, has come a long way since those days. She’s played No. 1 at Belton-Honea Path High since seventh grade, and is undefeated in Western 3A region matches. Ranked No. 15 in the state in the 16s division, Trumbull opens play in the singles draw Thursday at the Wachovia Palmetto Tennis Championships in Belton.

“I wasn’t really a sport-type girl when I was 8,” she said. “But there was nothing else for me to do, so I chose that.”

A Belton regular, Trumbull finished in the top eight last year in the 14s, which qualified her for the Southern Closed Championships. Her best finish, though, was third in the 12s singles tournament when she also finished second in doubles, and won the sportsmanship award.

Trumbull likes the Belton surroundings because plenty of family and friends turn out for her matches.

“She already has a bleacher full coming,” said her mother, Alison.

Trumbull said she tends to play better in front of hometown fans because she needs to prove to the fans that she’s good.

“I have a lot of support here in Belton,” Trumbull said. “I always talk about how good I do in tournaments, and I want to prove to them that, yeah, I am that good.”

Trumbull’s talent is somewhat surprising because she comes from a family void of tennis players. Neither parent plays the sport, nor does anyone in the extended family.

“They wanted me to get into a sport that would keep me out of trouble, and teach me self-discipline,” Trumbull said of her parents.

George Esqueda, Trumbull’s coach the last nine months at Cardinal Racquet Club, can relate to Trumbull because his parents didn’t play either.

“It’s rare, but it does happen,” Esqueda said, who noted that it shouldn’t hurt Trumbull’s development. “She has the talent … if she works hard for two more years, she should get a scholarship to go to a Division 1 school.

Esqueda said Trumbull hits the ball with the velocity of a college player. And with the combination of a high racquet speed and solid mental approach, Esqueda says, she has the potential to qualify for the Southerns again.

“She has a lot of racquet speed and very heavy top spin forehand,” he said. “So when she pulls the trigger, it’s pretty powerful.”

While Trumbull was a highly ranked player in the 14s and 12s divisions, she is not seeded in the 16s singles division, and is adjusting to the higher quality of play. The 16s, Esqueda said, features players who take more risks, and have shorter rallies, while hitting most balls “25 percent harder.”

“That’s when you weed out the ones who really want it,” Alison said.

Trumbull said she formulates a game plan against opponents she’s familiar with, and tries to wear them down with long rallies. To advance through the field, and stay alive through the weekend, Esqueda said Trumbull needs to hit nearly every shot with full racquet speed.

“I’m going to take more risks, I’m going to move like I can move,” the coach said. “If she’s on, she’s on. She has to hit the ball hard, pretty much 80 percent of the time.”

Trumbull’s long-term goal is to land a college scholarship, which is why she wants to move up the ranks here, and eventually at national tournaments, to put her name on the recruiting radar.

Yet despite practicing two or three times a week, Trumbull said she hasn’t experienced burnout.

“Sometimes it gets hard, but I stick through it because I know it’s best for me in the long run,” she said. “A lot of my friends aren’t even thinking about college, they’re just goofing around. They’re always asking me, ‘let’s go here, let’s go there.’ I can’t, I have tennis practice, and I’ve got to get that tennis scholarship.”