Tennis player Julia Nojeim could win or lose by a landslide, but her respect for an opponent remains the same no matter the score.

The Old Rochester Regional High School senior recently earned the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) Girls 18 and under Sportsmanship Award, intermediate division. The award is given to the player who exemplifies conduct and character at the USTA’s national competition.

A Marion resident, Nojeim won the award playing for the Sippican Tennis Club U-18 Junior Team. The Marion-based Sippican Tennis Club hosts the team in the summer.

Players advanced to nationals after defeating teams from the South Coast and New England.

“Our whole team was grateful and excited to be there and we just wanted to do the best we could to finish off the season,” Nojeim said. “We gave it our all.”

Held in Cayce, South Carolina from Oct. 24 to 26, the competition drew more than 250 players. In August, the team secured a spot after winning the New England regional tournament.

Tournament teams are divided into 16 sections and Sippican finished in eighth place, said Coach Chick Renfrew. The owner of the Marion Indoor Tennis Club, Renfrew has coached tennis players throughout the South Coast since 1975.

The team had reached the tournament in 2011 in the 14 and under division. Nojeim joined the team soon after.

Renfrew said all of the players from the previous tournament run returned this year, except for Nojeim whose skill set complemented the team.

“It’s a special group on this team,” Renfrew said. “The other kids have all been together for a long time and [Nojeim] fits in perfectly.”

He said Nojeim excels as a doubles player on the Sippican team.

Renfrew said that while singles players hang back and hope their opponent misses the ball, Nojeim attacks the net.

“She has skills where she can actually come to the net,” Renfrew said. “In doubles, it’s critical you don’t stay back and rally because the other team will come to the net and put the ball away.”

In addition to the Sippican team, Nojeim has played on ORR’s varsity tennis team for the past three years. When Nojeim said she hoped to play varsity during her senior year, Renfrew added there’s not doubt she would.

“She’s a very good player. She’s being modest, but she plays in the number one singles position at the high school,” he said.

Nojeim’s parents encouraged her to take tennis lessons when she was 8 years old, and she quickly took to the sport. Her dad – though not a player at the time – eventually joined her.

“My dad started playing when I got serious about five years ago,” she said. “It wasn’t something he did until I did it.”

In addition to playing for the high school and Sippican teams, she has a membership at the Marion Indoor Tennis Club in order to practice year round.

Nojeim, along with many other Sippican players, will be preparing for college when the new season starts in the summer. Renfrew hopes to keep the team together for one more year.

Win or lose, he said how they play the game is just as meaningful.

“I’ve always told the kids it’s important to behave themselves on the court,” Renfrew said. “They fight hard, but they fight fair.”