An outstanding 2020 Parkland girls tennis season ended Oct. 15 with a disappointing 3-2 loss to Southern Lehigh in the District 11 3A team tennis semifinals.

The Trojans, ranked as the tournament’s No. 2 seed, battled the No. 3 Spartans in five entertaining matches. Two days later, Southern Lehigh won the title with a 3-0 win over No. 5 Liberty.

“Going in we knew it was going to be difficult,” said Parkland coach Michael Hingston. “The matches with Southern Lehigh were very close and could have gone either way. I believe they were clearly better than most of the teams in the tournament.”

The Spartans’ experience - which included Michele Li and Erica Wang - could have been the difference, the coach noted. He added that with a limited 2020 schedule and no East Penn Conference tournament, his younger Trojan squad did not have the background it normally would have by districts.

“Southern Lehigh had a little more experience,” said the coach. “I really wish we would have been able to have that,

ut you have to roll with the punches.”

The Trojans opened the tournament Oct. 13 with a 5-0 win over Emmaus. Erin Joo, who the week previous made the semifinals in district singles competition, beat the Hornets’ Jocelyn Chow at No. 1 singles 6-2, 6-3.

In the No. 2 slot, Parkland’s Leah Zolotareva edged Misa Hollinger 6-3,3-6, 7-6 (10-7). Anshika Gupta beat Mia Columbus 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3 singles for the Trojans.

In doubles matches, Parkland’s Gigi Leonzi and Sophia Lee beat the Hornets’ Krissy Heilenman and Riley Stuckey 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 doubles. The Trojans’ J.J. Dee and Kaila Miles won the No. 2 doubles match 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 against Shelby Carter and Teya Gougoustamos.

Defeating Emmaus in itself was an accomplishment, Hingston noted. It was the third time this season Parkland got the better of their rival, a solid team in their own right.

The Trojans sent two doubles pairs to the District 11 Doubles Tournament, which began Monday. Joo and Zolatereva are seeded second in the event. They won their first match 6-0 then beat the No. 7 seeded doubles team, Emmaus’s Chow and Stuckey, 6-3, 6-1 to advance to Wednesday’s semifinal round.

Parkland’s Leonzi and Lee were unseeded for the doubles tournament, but they knocked off No. 5 seeded Hollinger and Columbus 6-4, 7-5 in the first round before falling to the No. 4 seeded team 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.