It didn't come easy, but Jim Thorpe was able to pick up their first tennis victory of the season, defeating a very scrappy Palmerton bunch 4-1 on Thursday.

It hasn't been an easy season at all for both the Olympians and the Bombers, with a lot of new faces and a lot of inexperienced tennis players hitting the court for the first time.The Olympians first win of the day came off the racket of number three singles player Luke Eggert. Eggert defeated Alex Hummel in straight sets 6-1, 6-0.Then, the Bombers number two singles player Jordan Cressman made things interesting, defeating Jim Thorpe's John Lowin 6-2, 6-4. Cressman, who usually plays number three singles had to bump up to the two spot after Palmerton's number one couldn't compete because of an injury. It was Cressman's first victory of the season."I just went out there and played as hard as I could and I came out on top," said Cressman. "It was awesome to get my first win of the year, especially playing number two singles. This is definitely a confidence builder for me and I'm just happy I could get the win personally and also for my team as well."The match's outcome was then dependent on the two doubles matches, with both of them going to a third set.The number one doubles match turned out to be real exciting with Jim Thorpe winning 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (5-3), needing two tie breaks to put away the Bombers. In the number two doubles match-up, the Olympians won the third set convincingly 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. The two doubles victories sealed the match for the Olympians (1-7)."This win was a long time coming and it was nice to get that weight off of our shoulders," said Jim Thorpe coach Norb Leinhard. "The key for us this year is not to give up and today they didn't. They were faced with some challenges in those doubles matches and they pushed through and got the win. Simply put, there is a lot of new tennis players out here today for both teams, so it's all about getting better as the year goes on. Four our team specifically, we just have to get more consistent getting the ball back across the net, but it was a nice win today by our kids."In the singles match-up, which ran the longest out of the five matches, Jim Thorpe's Jacob Brown defeated Palmerton's Seth Andress 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.With the loss the Bombers drop to 0-8, but coach Alex Knoll was happy with his team's performance."I know we're not going to come out on the winning side of this match, but the kids fought hard and were "in" the match," said Knoll. "There is a lot of new players out here and they're learning the game, while having to compete. That's not an easy thing to do, but everyone is working hard and getting better. A great example of that is Jordan Cressman's performance today. She had to bump up to number two singles and she ended up getting her first win of the season. Those are things you like to see and then build off as a coach."Jim Thorpe 4, Palmerton 1SINGLESMatt Miller (JT) def. Seth Andress (P) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1; Jordan Cressman (P) def. John Lowin (JT) 6-2, 6-4; Luke Eggert (JT) def. Alex Hummel (P) 6-1, 6-0.DOUBLESAustin Faylor/Brett Luicana (JT) def. Jacob Brown/Sal Melo (P) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (5-3); Brandon Huffman/Roman Raytsis (JT) def. Ryan Roberts/Collin Green (P) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.