As a developing young team, Emmaus (1-5, 1-4 EPC) is looking for that one key win that will help set the course for brighter days. That win almost came against rival Parkland (6-3, 5-1 EPC) recently when the Trojans worked to pull out a slim 4-3 win over the Lady Hornets.

Interim coach Dmitri Diamondopolous believes that win would have been a turning point, but is still encouraged by how his team played and what the win might mean for his young players.

"The last couple matches have been tight against some decent teams and we're starting to turn the corner, and that's what I've been telling them," said Diamondopolous. "There's going to be one match that's going to turn the corner and we're going to start playing really good tennis. We have talent, we just don't have the experience yet

"Our team is coming around. It's a tough loss, but the girls really stepped up [against Parkland] and hopefully, next time, we'll get them."

Emmaus had just two seniors on the courts against the Trojans and both were in doubles matches. Caroline Smith teamed with sophomore Julia Pan and senior Justine Wang paired with junior Katie Xue on the number four doubles team. Meanwhile, the number three doubles team of Xinyi He and Tina Zhang are both freshmen and picked up a win over Roshni Patel and Ally Grob.

"These kids want to be on the court," Diamondopolous said. "Losing how many kids we did last year the whole lineup, practically and having some young talent coming up. We have a lot of young kids who are in the lineup and I think they want to achieve and say 'hey, I can do this and get better.'"

Emmaus has sophomore Elise VanOrmer playing at number one singles and she picked up a 6-1, 7-5 win over Parkland's Rachel Wong. VanOrmer teamed with junior Michelle Gunn in number one doubles and dropped a 6-7, 6-0, 6-2 match to Parkland's number one team.

Gunn provided some big moments in the match and helped to keep VanOrmer focused during some of the tougher parts of the match. That type of leadership is helping younger players, including VanOrmer, to continue developing their talents.

"They help a lot," said VanOrmer of the more experienced players. "Our senior captain, Caroline [Smith], she's really nice and helps a lot with everything. I think that I like the team a lot and it's been a really great year."

With graduation taking a toll on the roster, VanOrmer moved into the top spot among singles players, even though she wasn't necessarily expecting to be there this early in her high school career. With that top spot comes a lot of responsibility that can be difficult for a young player and VanOrmer is continuing to work on things that will make her a stronger player.

"I had no idea that I would be playing number one," she said. "My Dad's a tennis coach and he trains me and it's been a really fun experience. Mostly, I've worked on getting the shot in and consistency and just thinking to myself that all you need to do is just get it in and you're good."

The schedule is already winding down and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Tournament will be here in a little over a week. Between now and then, Emmaus makes a trip to Liberty and then hosts Bethlehem Catholic next Tuesday.