Prior to the 2021 campaign, first-year Emmaus boys tennis head coach Fred Saab did his best to act like winning or losing was no big deal.

The plan worked as Saab’s mostly-veteran Hornets posted an 11-3 regular season. Saab’s leadership resulted in a Hornet club schooled in the finer points of volleying and poaching at the net.

“Most boys will practice rallying from the baseline, but the team that can rally and put the ball away will have the upper hand in the match.”

The postseason was another story. Emmaus staggered through league and district competition in making early exits. During District 11 Class 3A team competition, the Hornets were beaten in the quarters by Freedom, 4-1.

The team’s most consistent and skilled commodity was number one singles player Quinn Erk. Almost unbeatable during the regular season, Erk’s success was predicated on a complete game. Comfortable rallying from the baseline and taking the short ball approach to the net, he mixed in a powerful serve to keep opponents off balance.

One opponent he could not handle in District 11 singles play was Parkland’s Dan Zolotarev, who beat Erk in an entertaining and close match, 3-6, 6-4, 10-7.

Number two Eddy Chow was anything but Erk’s caddy. Chow, a sophomore, already understands playing winning tennis is a physical and mental proposition.

“He crafts points to his advantage,” said Saab. “He has an all-around strong game and is comfortable coming to the net to volley as well.”

Number three senior Aidan Springs primarily used a power game and realized improvement as the season went along, ending with six consecutive regular season victories.

Saab did a juggling act with his doubles teams almost all season long. The pairings included Nic Gilboy and Gabe Huff, Rohan Desai and Ali Ahmed, Johnson Yang and Springs, along with Ansh Malik and Desai. At times Gavin Coleman paired with Yang and at one time Aedan Whalen and Ahmed joined forces.

During District 11 doubles competition, Erk and Chow won their first round match over Parkland’s Mridul Gupta and Josh Jafee, 6-3, 6-3, before bowing out in the quarters. The Emmaus duo of Springs and Gilboy were not as successful as their teammates, falling to Parkland’s Fyodor D’Souza and Zolotarev, 6-2, 6-1.

Postseason losses aside, Sabb was pleased with the season. He wanted each player’s individual best and to his mind, got it.

“I am proud of all the boys.