A year of growth for the Emmaus girls tennis team ended with a 4-1 loss to the Parkland Trojans in the District 11 Class 3A championship team semifinal Oct. 10.

“Playing Parkland, the number one-seeded team, was a good test to see what we need to do to get to that level,” said Emmaus head coach Robert Dragotta. “We lost 4-1, but again we played well.”

Entering the 2019 campaign, perhaps the biggest hurdle the squad had to overcome was its inexperience. Just how quickly the team would mature would dictate how will they did.

“I feel that we really improved over the course of the season, which is all you can ask a team to do,” Dragotta said. “I am pleased with how much better a tennis team we are today compared to the beginning of the season.”

Number two singles Jocelyn Chow finished her outstanding singles season with a victory over Jessica Tseo 6-3, 6-4. Chow, a sophomore, matured throughout the season, showing patience and poise in big moments. In the semifinal, she used that maturity to claim Emmaus’ only victory over Parkland.

Two days earlier, in quarterfinal competition against the Liberty Hurricanes, the Green Hornets earned a dramatic 3-2 win. Once again Chow got the team into the win column, easily defeating Angelique Ronca 6-2, 6-0.

Number three singles Misa Hollinger earned a tough 6-4, 7-5 victory over Liberty’s Margeaux Donchez. The doubles team of Krissy Heilenman and Riley Stuckey showed great teamwork in downing Emily Masters and Sruti Tekumalla 6-4, 6-3.

“Liberty was seeded fourth and we lost to Liberty 4-3 in the beginning of the season,” Dragotta said. “This match was a good test to see if we improved during the course of the season. Winning 3-2 in districts was a great win for Emmaus girls tennis. All of the girls played well.”

Dragotta’s squad still has district doubles competition ahead, starting Oct. 14 at Lehigh University, where Mia Columbus and Chow will compete.