Despite being in the middle of a losing streak, Tamaqua girls' tennis coach Jennel Swanson was able to turn a negative into a positive in a matter of a split second.

Moments after her Blue Raiders' dropped a close 3-2 setback to Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg, Swanson was able to speak about the good rather than the bad - or even the ugly for that matter - as their losing streak was extended to six matches."There was plenty of progression out there," Swanson said. "I just told the girls after the match that every match they are playing they are doing that much better. They're working individually. They're working as teams in doubles. They're putting it all together." No. 3 singles player Amy Gardiner posted a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win to register the Blue Raiders' first team point. Gardiner rebounded from a second set loss to cut Notre Dame's team lead to 2-1.Although the Spartans secured the match victory with a win at No. 2 doubles, Tamaqua's Alli Pedersen was able to earn the final point with a three set victory at No. 2 singles."They aren't used to going three sets, especially playing out the full set since you play a tie-breaker with some teams," Swanson said. "It really shows how much mental toughness they (Gardiner and Pedersen) have. It really was a great thing to see that they came out on top in those third sets because it's tough to do."Gardiner said she hopes the three-set wins that her and Pedersen posted will be something to build on coming down the stretch."The season isn't over yet," Gardiner said. "We have plenty more wins to get and I'm looking forward to them."SENIOR LEADERSHIP ... Five of the seven Blue Raiders' in Swanson's lineup yesterday were upperclassmen. Maddie Davis, Alli Pedersen, Amy Gardiner, Emma Osenbach and Arie Serniak all competed against the Spartans. "It's really nice to see our seniors putting their heart into it and playing all out," said Swanson. "I tell them, 'Leave it out on the court. This is all you have left.' They are really showing that kind of attitude and hard work."POSTSEASON PLANS? ... Both Pedersen and Gardiner have their sights set on joining Davis at District 11 tennis singles' tournament. At the moment, Pedersen has eight wins on the season while Gardiner is right behind her with seven. All teams are guaranteed one spot with the remainder of the 32 player field filled with at-large berths.NDES 3, Tamaqua 2SINGLESNicole Kosculniak (NDES) def. Davis 6-2,6-1; Pedersen (T) def. Rachel LeGendre 6-4, 2-6, 6-4; Gardiner (T) def. Joelle Buenaventura 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.DOUBLESAva Masseria/Samantha Flor (NDES) def. Osenbach/Serniak 6-2, 6-1; Jessika Buenaventura/Heather Bartlett (NDES) def. Keyla Saez/Alexis Brewer 6-1, 6-0.