The Parkland Girls Tennis program is humming along like a machine this season with an 8-1 overall record under the direction of coach Mike Hingston.

“We have a lot of experience and that’s a plus in high school girls tennis,” the coach said.

There’s more than experience behind the Lady Trojans’ superlative season. They are clearly one of the top teams in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11. Parkland has experience and talent, but it also has a fine director in Hingston, who teaches his girls to be technically proficient players that are tactically astute to take control of their opponents and win points, games and matches.

“We try to teach situational tennis,” Hingston said.

Coming into the 2018 campaign, the question for the team was how quickly the Lady Trojans’ doubles squads could jell. That has been answered through nine matches, as the double teams have proved more than solid.

The talented trio of singles players have been Parkland’s bread and butter. Number one senior Murong Yao, number two junior Joanna Wu and number three junior Jessica Tseo. The three Lady Trojans have been superlative.

In assessing their talents, the coach says Yao has “all the court moves” and is a magician with a racquet, able to cast spells on opponents with a wicked underspin on her volleys.

“She has good mechanics and she is very savy on the court,” Hingston said.

Wu is “a battler and is tough mentally,” the coach said. “She’s going to give you her best everytime she is out there,”

Besides her never-say-die attitude, Wu has tremendous footwork and agility, allowing her to cover ground and typically be in position to unleash a strong forehand or solid slice backhand.

“She has the heart of lion,” Hingston says. “She’s mentally tough and never stops moving out there.”

Tseo has battled through some injuries and “has improved dramatically” this season.

“She has developed into a consistent player with more patience,” Hingston said. “She is weapon for us.”

Parkland’s double teams are equally formidable. Kingston put the girls through a “doubles boot camp” this summer that has paid off.

From an offensive standpoint, the coach teaches his players in doubles that when in doubt, “that hitting the ball up the middle solves the puzzle.” Conversely, when defending the asphalt, the coach teaches his girls to “close off the middle.”

It doesn’t hurt that the Lady Trojans’ doubles teams are “good friends”

“The truth is this team really likes each other. They care about one another,” the coach said.

The top double team consists of sophomore Sophia Lee and junior Maya Paul. The coach notes Paul, in particular, “has worked very hard” and it has paid off as her game has blossomed. The second team features the tough and talented senior Aditi Pollard and senior Sasha Singh. Junior Punya Bhasin and sophomore Kalia Miles have also been trouble for opponents.

The red and gray have sliced through most opponents this season. Perhaps most impressive was a 6-1 win over the always solid Easton Red Rovers on Aug. 30 and a 5-0 win Sept. 8 over Wilson. Only a 3-2 win over Hamburg on Aug. 27 has been close. The team’s Sept. 4 loss to Freedom is the lone setback.