The 2021 Parkland girls tennis season will be remembered for being not only superb, but nearly perfect.

Trojan head coach Michael Hingston continues to show why he is among the district’s best coaches. Since his arrival on North Cedar Crest Boulevard for the 2013 season, Hingston’s teams have almost always been in the mix for a league and district title. This past season’s version was nothing short of awesome, as the Trojans won the regular season Eastern Pennsylvania Conference title, the EPC tournament title and the District 11 Class 3A championship. The district championship was his third at Parkland.

The Trojans authored a 20-1 record this season, until they were beaten by Spring Ford 4-1 in the PIAA 3A Girls Tennis Championship on Oct. 26.

Parkland was blessed with three fine singles players - No. 1 Erin Joo, No. 2 Leah Zolotareva and No. 3 Gigi Leonzi. All three players had good seasons, although Zolotareva was particularly strong. She won Parkland’s only state tournament match and was almost automatic all season.

“You’re talking about two juniors and a sophomore,” said Hingston. “That bodes well for our future.”

The doubles teams were awesome also. Anshika Gupta and Kaila Miles played solid tennis all season. Their greatest moment was the District 11 team tournament when the pair responded to real pressure.

The tournament came down to a winner-take-all match featuring Gupta and Miles against Stroudsburg’s Alison Willis and Katie Hosko. Gupta and Miles showed their mental toughness, winning the match in three sets and the tournament for Parkland, 3-2. Miles was the team’s only senior.

The tandem of Sophia Petrocelli and Sophie Ellijovich played good tennis all season. Petrocelli, a sophomore, and Ellijovich, a freshman, impressed Hingston in August and continued to impress him all season. The girls worked well together and improved as the season progressed.

Also seeing playing time were the duo of Ali Silman and Belle Mattson, and the team of Carla Franco and Kiera Miles.

“We care deeply about each other,” said Hingston when asked about why the program continues to be successful year after year. “It should mean something to wear the Parkland name on your uniform.”