But there's no secret to the Haddonfield junior's success.

It was all those practice sessions with her mother. It was all those lonely runs. It was all those United State Tennis Association tournaments, even the ones that ended with another loss to another powerful opponent.

"Meghan is one of those players who will do the extra things to get better," Haddonfield coach Jeff Holman said. "You always like to see your players do those things outside of high school tennis to improve. That's Meghan.

"She's really a committed tennis player, and it's made a big difference in her game."

Burns' remarkable improvement was on display again yesterday at the Tennis Center at Mercer County Park. She won both of her matches in straight sets as undefeated Haddonfield rolled to its 16th state championship.

Burns won, 6-1, 6-4, over Laura Tierney as Haddonfield beat Gov. Livingston, 5-0, in the state semifinals. She also won, 6-1, 6-0, over Nicole Eisbrouch as Haddonfield beat Pascack Hills, 5-0, in the state finals.

"I worked really hard to get to this point," Burns said. "I just got myself into the mind-set that I was going to be a better player."

There are a lot of athletes who burst on to the varsity scene, and it's clear that their success is related to their physical ability. It's not that they don't work hard. They do. It's not that they aren't mentally tough. They are.

But what's most notable is their speed, strength, eye-hand coordination and balance. They look and move like great players.

Burns is the other kind of star. She's not the fastest player on the court. She doesn't hit the hardest strokes. She doesn't have a powerful serve.

But she's consistent. She can wait out the long points. She can weather the storms of a few lost points, a few lost games, even a lost set.

"I used to have a lot of problems with my nerves," Burns said. "But I really never played that much compared to other girls. I didn't start playing until I was around 12, and the first time I hit the ball with one of my teammates it was a joke.

"I just needed to play more matches so I could get used to being in those tough situations."

One of the things that has made Haddonfield (30-0) so good this season has been the emergence of freshman No. 1 Taylor Ng, who has a 35-2 record. She's been terrific in her own right, and her presence has strengthened the rest of the lineup.

But the other thing that has happened - the bigger surprise than Taylor Ng's sensational freshman season - has been Burns' improved play. While just about everybody else moved down in the lineup to make room for Taylor Ng, Burns moved up, from No. 3 singles as a sophomore to No. 2 as a junior.

"I never expected to be No. 2," Burns said. "I was hoping to play singles. I worked hard hoping to be able to play singles. But I honestly thought I was going to be playing doubles this season."

Burns did more than win the No. 2 singles spot. She also excelled at the position. She has a 30-3 record, and she won crucial matches against No. 2 singles players from Moorestown, Holy Spirit, Holmdel, and Lawrenceville Prep, as well as yesterday's two opponents during Haddonfield's undefeated season.

"It's nerve-wracking because there's pressure to win for the team and I'm playing a lot better players than I have in the past," Burns said. "But when you win a couple big matches, you start to realize you can do it, and it gets pretty exciting."

Given the long season and given her sparkling record as well as the team's perfect mark, maybe Meghan Burns isn't such a surprise anymore.

She's still a great example for other athletes. She didn't sneak up on success. She earned it, one workout at a time.