The Emmaus High School girls tennis team was strong in doubles last season, earning silver medals in one doubles format and gold in two others at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Tournament.

The Hornets should once again be strong in that area and as a team overall. While the team lost some talented competitors from the lineup to graduation a year ago, head coach Robert Dragotta expects a strong group back.

“We graduated some very good tennis players from last year’s team,” said Dragotta. “This year’s players have been working very hard and they have improved their games. We want to be able to take that next step and win team titles at leagues and districts.”

Emmaus finished last season 15-5 overall and 11-4 in the conference.

The duos of Brooke DiGiacomo and Natalie Hillegass, along with Kylie Gleason and Anahi Kanani took home gold at EPCs in doubles. Parkland won the league and the conference tournament, along with winning the District 11 3A tournament. The Hornets defeated Freedom in the district quarterfinal round before falling to the Trojans in the semifinals.

Some of the top returning players in the lineup for Emmaus this season include Sophia Kaufman at No. 1 singles, Gab Tranguch at No. 1 doubles, DiGiacomo and Hillegass at No. 2 doubles, Kanani at No. 3 doubles and Katy Kapp at first alternate doubles. A couple of newcomers that will look to break into the lineup and contribute include junior Fiona Harvey, sophomore Emily Kaufman and freshman Zoe Santana.

“We should once again be strong in doubles and very much improved in our singles portion of the lineup,” Dragotta said. “We need to be more consistent and continue to find the right placement of our shots. The girls are working hard every day to better themselves.”