The Parkland girls tennis program was a dominant team throughout the entire shortened 2020 season and now one of its doubles teams was crowned as the best in the district.

Erin Joo and Leah Zolotareva won the District 11 Class 3A championship with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Southern Lehigh’s Erica and Evelyn Wang Oct. 21 at Saucon Valley High School. Joo and Zolotareva were the tournament’s number two seed, while the Wangs were top ranked.

Both girls have had outstanding seasons. Joo, started the campaign as Parkland’s number one singles player. “She has just played great all season,” said Parkland coach Michael Hingston. “She has worked very hard on her game.”

Zolotareva is described as “a fierce competitor who sets high expectations for herself,” according to Hingston. She served as Parkland’s number two singles player during the year.

Joo and Zolotareva’s journey to their championship could be described as methodical. In the tournament’s opening round, the Joo/Zolotareva team had no problem with Easton’s Julia Ressler and Sophia Farnsworth in a 6-0, 6-0 wipeout. The duo controlled the action from the start and frustrated their opponents into submission.

Their quarterfinal matchup featured a familiar opponent in the Emmaus doubles team of Jocelyn Chow and Riley Stuckey. The Hornet duo had a good year for Emmaus coach Robert Dragotta, but provided little resistance for Joo and Zolotareva, who played strategic tennis in a 6-3, 6-1 win.

Joo and Zolotareva were somewhat pressed in their semifinal victory over Liberty’s Veronica Lynn and Margaux Donchez, but won going away 7-5, 6-3.

The Trojans’ doubles teams were strong all season and that was illustrated during the District championship tournament. Gigi Leonzi and Sophia Lee also came away with a win in the tournament.

In the opening round, they were matched against rival Emmaus and the team of Misa Hollinger and Mia Columbus. Fans were treated to some entertaining tennis, which featured momentum changes throughout. In the end, Leonzi and Lee proved too much as they earned a 6-4, 7-5 victory. The quarterfinal round later that day proved to be the end of the road for the Trojan duo, as they were turned back by Southern Lehigh’s Michele Li and Kayla Lebby 6-2, 6-3.