The Whitehall girls got some early wins from during Friday’s tennis match against Northampton, but couldn’t sustain the momentum and dropped a tough contest to their cross-river rivals.

Both Noel Yacoub and their No. 2 doubles team of Heylee Chan and Emily Tran staked them to a quick 2-0 lead against the visiting Kids.

Yacoub dusted off at Rose Sharga in straight sets at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-0. while Chan and Tran also won in the same fashion, defeating the Kid tandem opponents, 6-2, 6-0.

Their combined effort got them pointed in the right direction as they looked for their seventh win of the season.

“They played outstanding today,” said Green

He said that they were really sharp on the court as they got them on the board quickly in the match.

Green said that Friday’s win allowed Chan and Tran to settle back into a good groove. The pair experienced a tough stretch and the win gave them a needed boost. He said that when he spoke with the pair, he reassured them, and tried to relieve any pressure they may have been feeling.

“I just talked to them about how good of a doubles team they are,” said Green.

He said that they talked about playing loose and having fun. The message translated to the court.

“They had their best match of the year, for sure,” said Green.

Still, as the match unfolded, head coach Alex Green said that it was going to be another tight one. That assessment has defined the series the last few years, with Whitehall winning 4-3 the last couple of meetings. He said it may well come down to No. 1 doubles again.

In fact, Green said that tight contests that hinge on one match has been the major storyline throughout the season. It held true for Bangor, Pleasant Valley and Easton, all three wins for the program. This time they couldn’t pull out the win as the Kids reeled off victories in every other match except No. 3 singles, with Nicole Asmar winning 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Natlaia Pedraza dropped just her second match of the season, losing to senior Liz Hozza, 6-4, 6-3. Pedraza defeated Hozza last year at No. 1 singles, but Hozza had a good afternoon in both her singles and doubles matches, said Green.

“It was a pretty emotional 4-3 loss for our kids,” said Green. “We felt pretty confident throughout the day that we’d find a way to win. We have a lot of respect for Northampton, but we were in pretty good shape all day, and to lose the match was disappointing.”

The loss dips their season record to 6-5. With three more matches remaining, the Zephs face Nazareth and Emmaus this week.