In just her second year playing tennis, Lynsey Quinn's game improved enough for her to emerge as Upper Perkiomen's top tennis player.  "Lynsey is an excellent athlete," head coach John Williamson said. "That's why she picked the game up so quickly. She improved so much."

                Quinn, who considers softball her best sport, said she never expected to emerge as the Indians No. 1 singles player.  "I was really surprised," the senior said. "I'm a lot more competitive on the court than I used to be."

                Williamson's roster is populated with four softball players.  "They all have the hand-eye coordination necessary to hit the ball," the coach said.

                According to Quinn, her ground strokes have improved and her serve is harder and more accurate. She also developed the endurance to play longer matches.  "The best part of Lynsey's game is that she can hit a lot of different shots," Williamson said. "She has developed the versatility to hit the ball hard when she wants to."

                Wrist control has been a major factor in her transition to the court. According to Quinn, swinging a bat requires stiff wrists, while rolling the hand over on a tennis swing is necessary to produce the required spin on the ball.  "I use this sport to blow off steam and stress," said Quinn, who succeeds Jill Kachmar, who transferred to Perkiomen School, as the team's top singles player.

                Quinn, who played doubles last season, also competes on the court, according to Williamson.  The player said she doesn't shy away from the challenge of facing the opposing team's top players, many of whom grew up hitting balls in country clubs.  "Most of the girls I play seem like they have been on the court since they were four years old," she said.

                Despite losses in her initial three matches, Quinn is determined to improve. She did not win a game in a loss to Methacton's Mihaela Codreanu earlier this month.  "I went in thinking positive," Quinn said. "I played decently. (Codreanu) had the best serve I'll probably face all year. She was good at everything. She strategized very well."

                The Indians won just two games in a 7-0 loss to Methacton on Sept. 3. They were shut out similarly by Boyertown one day earlier in their Pioneer Athletic Conference opener.

                On Aug. 26, they held their own in a 4-3 non-league loss to Lansdale Catholic. Carly Berhardt, Upper Perkiomen's No. 3 singles player, won her match.

                Two doubles teams, including the top team of Chloe Clemente and Emily Moll, along with Hannah Supplee and Cassidy Wright, each came away with a win against the Crusaders.

                The coach described junior Emily Brandt, Upper Perkiomen's No. 2 singles player, as a consistent player with a great attitude.  "Emily works very hard to get to play singles this year," Williamson said. "She has worked very hard on her footwork and movement."

                Bernhardt, a junior and a softball player, also displays the athleticism to complete, according to the coach.

                Amanda Hanshew, a senior, and Abby Clifford, a junior, will compete as the Indians' number two team. Supplee and Wright make up the third doubles duo. Ally Thompson and Morgan Marion are playing as fourth doubles.