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The reasons for describing Ryan Lipman as "old school" aren't immediately apparent. He's close to finishing his high school classes at age 17 via home schooling, so a character in a Will Ferrell movie he is not.

But watch the Nashville right-hander play tennis and there's no denying the aptness of the description. A one-handed backhand, creative spins, crisp volleys, even his favorite surface - grass - recall a bygone era. Add the plethora of sportsmanship awards Lipman has garnered during his junior career, and it's little wonder the blue-chipper is high on the list of many of the nation's top Division 1 schools.

"I love the style that I play, it's so different from everybody," says Lipman, ranked 8th in the class of 2009. "I feel that if I get in trouble with plan A, then I can switch gears and go to plan B. A lot of kids can't do that."