The Baldwin boys tennis team made the playoffs for the first time in years, but they fell 5-0 to North Allegheny in the first round on Monday.

Despite their loss, everyone put in a strong effort, junior Hayden Swanson said. 

“Despite nobody winning a game, we played with heart,” Swanson said.

North Allegheny stood out in terms of consistency.

“They played great tennis,” junior Nikita Petruk said. “The guy I played was really nice and consistent. He was also good at reaching for the ball.”

Junior Carter Smeal agreed. 

“They did a really good job taking control of the matches and closing out their games,” he said. 

Swanson said his opponent found open spots on the court.

“He was really good at hitting the ball to where I wasn’t. Every single one of my shots, he just put it right back over the net,” Swanson said.

Even though the team lost, they outperformed their expectations.

“Surprisingly, we did better than we expected,” Petruk said.

Swanson commended Petruk’s performance.

“Nikita made four aces,” Swanson said. “He and his opponent also had a long rally. They went back and forth like 20 times.

Petruk stood out by showing consistency in his matches and winning a few, Smeal said.

The team was proud of their overall performance this season, Smeal said. 

Over the course of the season, “it’s the most amount of games we have won in a few seasons,” he said. He added that he was proud that the team made it all the way to the playoffs. 

“It was a great team accomplishment, a great way to show how hard the team has been working this season,” he said. 

He said he hopes to see more people sign up for the next season. 

“We hope to get more new teammates next year to continue the positive trend of the team,” Smeal said.