Parkland tennis suffered a tough 5-2 loss to Central Catholic (9-1, 10-1) on Monday. Number-three singles player Anna Li picked up a strong 6-0, 6-1 win over Madison Hess and the number-three singles team of Sabrina Ghosh and Maanasi Gothoskar picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win in their match for the only two wins on the day for Parkland.

The match was a far contrast to Saturday’s match when the Lady Trojans (9-2, 9-2) finished off Emmaus (7-4, 7-5) by a decisive 7-0 score.

Patricia Yao and Li won in straight sets Saturday, while Maddy Staiman went to three sets before downing Kennedy Spencer 7-5, 2-6, 6-0.

In doubles, Anushka Rege and Kiran Kaur, Ghosh and Gothoskar and Kristina Shum and Addison Averill all won in straight sets over Emmaus. The team of Ally Brunell and Ally Grob went to three sets before downing an Emmaus duo 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

After playing doubles last season, Staiman is now the team’s number-two singles player, which can be a difficult transition. Not only is she adjusting to the rigors of playing singles, but she’s constantly matched up against strong players, many of whom have been playing singles much longer than Staiman.

“There’s a learning curve there,” said Trojans head coach Michael Hingston. “She’s definitely improving, both her physical game and the mental approach to it are both improving. She should feel good. Winning a tough, three-set match can’t help but boost your confidence. She’s lost a three-setter or two along the way, where maybe it could have gone either way, but it just didn’t work out. To get this kind of win under her belt is good for her.”

Staiman admits that going through that learning curve has been difficult at times, but she’s found that playing singles presents both physical and mental challenges that she’s come to enjoy.

“Doubles is just such a different game, because you have a partner and there’s just not as much court to cover,” said Staiman, a junior. “Then, you go into singles and it’s physical, because some girls have you running back-and-forth, but it’s much more of a mental game, too. I struggled in the beginning, getting my mental game in a match and I couldn’t start playing my game until it was too late.”

Against Spencer, Staiman suffered through a lull in the second set when she struggled with her serves and seemed just a step slow at times. Spencer seemed to have gained strong momentum, but after regrouping following the second set, Staiman came out strong and was able to finish off Spencer.

“It was tough, because of the heat, and she’s a very tough player,” said Staiman. “That second set, I just needed to step up my game and get my mind into the match fully and try my best.”

As it turns out, Staiman’s mental approach is something that a lot of the younger players on the team are also encountering and mastering through the season. The result has been a better than expected season even though the team is so young that it has just one senior on the roster.

“Sometimes, it doesn’t happen that way,” said Hingston. “They seem to be growing up fast and that’s one thing that I really like about this team is the way they compete.

“It’s almost like an expectation of winning. We always say ‘we don’t expect to lose to anybody until they prove it to us.’ Until they prove it, we won’t believe it and that’s a big part of it, especially with young players, the confidence part of it is the key.”