The Parkland girls tennis team’s spectacular 2019 season continued through District 11 Class 3A tournament play, as the Trojans claimed their first district championship since 2013, defeating Southern Lehigh 4-0. With the win, the Trojans advance to the PIAA tournament.

“The kids deserve all the credit,” said Trojan head coach Michael Hingston. “They really have worked hard and put in a lot of time and effort into this. It’s just a great way to send the seniors out.”

All season the Trojans have been practically unstoppable. With the great play of senior Johanna Wu as the team’s number one singles player, and Jessica Tseo and Leah Zolotareva in the second and third spots, respectively, the Trojans were hard to handle for opponents.

In the championship, Wu made short work of the Spartans’ Erica Wang 6-0,6-0. The easy win got the Trojans off to a super start. Zolotareva continued Parkland’s winning ways, as she downed Michelle Li 6-3, 6-4 in the third singles match.

The Trojans’ strong doubles play this year was on display in the championship clincher. The tandem of Erin Joo and Anshika Gupta defeated Kayla Lebby and Ana Ashworth 6-3, 6-0. Then Sophia Lee and Maya Paul downed Sophia Delp and Kaitlyn Howie 6-2, 6-3.

Parkland certainly has a talented squad. But this season’s championship is a result of being able to produce in the clutch.

“The difference has been being able to step on a big stage and perform at a high level,” Hingston said. “There is a lot of pressure here.”

The pressure is compounded for the newest squad members.

“In some cases we have a few freshman in the line up,” the coach said. “A couple of them have never been to Lehigh to play, let alone play in a match of this magnitude. Until you’ve gone through that a time or two, it can be a daunting task.”

The PIAA tournament begins Oct. 22.