To say that the 2019 South Williamsport High School girl’s tennis team had a successful season would be a bit understated. In District IV schoolgirl tennis circles, the season was indeed a historic one.

Let the record show that the Mountaineer ladies squad finished the regular season undefeated, had three of the District’s top four players; sophomore Olivia Dorner #1, senior Lily Summerson #3 and senior Lauren Peck #4, as South Williamsport became the first school in District IV tennis history to have three players reach the singles tournament semi-finals.

The Mountaineer trio further distinguished themselves as all three advanced to the state tournament in Hershey. Dorner continued to gain statewide tennis attention as she became the first District IV player ever to reach a state final earning a second-place PIAA silver medal falling to Riverside’s Karissa Ghigiarella. As a freshman, Dorner finished third in last year’s tournament. Summerson and Peck were the District’s second-place doubles team and competed together in the state tournament.

For nine-year South Williamsport coach Theresa Summerson it concluded a season that went beyond even her wildest dreams.

“Yes, absolutely,” Summerson admitted. “I was having high hopes for Olivia and Lily, but for Lauren to have the season she did was tremendous. This was really exciting for her. Lauren is such a hard worker. Pretty much after every match, she goes home and runs five miles. In addition to tennis, she was on the cross country team, where she placed 18th in Districts this year.”
But for Peck to even have the opportunity to display her talents in the District Tournament, a special consideration had to be made.

“This year, we (Summerson and assistant coach Ken Young) had to ask for a special concession to allow her to compete in the district singles tournament. Usually, the number three-ranked player on a team does not compete. It is the number one and two players with a .500 record or better that enter the tournament.

“We asked for the special consideration because when you have a player on a team with two really talented girls, who were both undefeated, above you, you wouldn’t get a chance to compete otherwise. The other coaches did allow that, and she just shocked us all and did an awesome job by making it to the semi-finals. So to have three of the four semi-finalists in the district tournament be from South was something I hadn’t even though about or dreamt about.”

In describing her talented trio, Summerson said:

“Olivia – She has been working towards this her whole life. Some people say she is good because her father is a tennis pro, but her success goes way beyond that. She loves the game. She works hard. She would be on the court all the time if she could. Her work ethic is phenomenal. She has a very promising future ahead of her.

“Lily – I’ve very proud of Lily. She has done well. I’ve actually coached one of my own daughters each of the years I’ve coached at South. As a senior, she is the last of my daughters, so next year will be the first year I won’t have a daughter on the team. She had a lot of variety in her game, and this year, she was able to adjust her game and make the necessary adjustments to beat different kinds of opponents.

“Lauren – She has made great strides since coming out for the team as a freshman, never really having played before. Each year since she climbed right up the competitive ladder and became a very solid player for us. All three of our singles players were undefeated during the regular season, which helped us to achieve everything we did.”

Summerson explained the trio’s work ethic and success rubbed off on the rest of the South Williamsport team.

“The work ethic of these three girls and what they achieved spurred the rest of our team on to try and do well. Our number one doubles team of Alayna McGovern and Zoe Jackson did very well also. They were an aggressive doubles team that only had three losses and can be proud of their own achievements as well.

Our second doubles team of Paige Kistner and Ella Livorno had some struggles at times, but they kept coming out and dedicated themselves to the team effort. Their attitudes remained positive, and I’m looking forward to their continued improvement next year,”

Summerson credits the new outdoor tennis courts at the South Williamsport Park Complex with helping to increase the interest in the tennis team and providing more opportunities for them to play the game.

“We’ve had some success in the past, and with what we’ve accomplished this year, a lot more girls are coming out for tennis. That is really encouraging. The best part is when I see them just out playing for fun, outside of practice time, on their own.

“I was extremely proud to have all three of the girls have the opportunity to compete in Hershey. I thought they all represented their school and community very well, and it was truly a thrill. This was a dream season for us. I know that going forward, I will look back and fondly remember it.”