Sometimes it’s not how you play the game, it’s if you play the game at all.

That could summarize the 2020 Emmaus girls tennis season, according to their leader.

“Considering I didn’t think we would have a season, due to the virus, completing the season was awesome,” said Emmaus head coach Robert Dragotta.

Dragotta kept 29 players in green and gold - 13 on the varsity and 16 on junior varsity. He ran two practices everyday for almost four months. They improved and kept playing. Just having the girls play was an accomplishment.

“I just wanted to get them out of the house and exercising,” he said. “I don’t know what happens next, but I am extremely grateful that we were able to play tennis.”

Play tennis the team did. The Hornets went 5-5 during an abbreviated regular season before entering District 11 Class 3A competition.

In district singles play, junior Jocelyn Chow won her opening round match before being eliminated. In district team competition, the Green Hornets met rival Parkland. The Trojans swept Emmaus 5-0, but some of those matches were competitive.

“We played extremely well against Parkland,” said Dragotta. “Parkland was better, but we made them work for it.”

But one thing that did not work for Dragotta was the tournament seeding.

“The seeding for teams was all wrong,” said Dragotta. “Southern Lehigh defeated Liberty in the finals. We defeated Liberty 6-1 during the season. Southern Lehigh, Parkland and Emmaus were the three best teams in 3A.”

Last week in District 11 doubles, the duo of Misa Hollinger and Mia Columbus lost a competitive match to Parkland’s Gabrielle Leonzi and Sophia Lee 4-6, 5-7. The team of Riley Stuckey and Chow won their first round match over Easton’s Suhani Makwana and Sadie Jacobs 5-7, 6-1, 10-3. They battled Parkland’s Erin Joo and Leah Zolotareva in the quarterfinals, losing 6-3, 6-1.

When Dragotta looks back on the season, he will remember his graduating class.

“All the young ladies from Emmaus are awesome and I will especially remember the six seniors this year,” he said. “I am proud of all of them. They played hard, they get good grades and they are going off to college. They will do great things.”

The coach was most impressed with his squad’s work ethic.

“We had everyone back from last year except for one,” Dragotta said. “This team was better this year than last year, because they all put in the time. It was my pleasure to be able to work with such fine individuals.”