HENRY HUBER/For the Express From left, Bucktail's Eva Sockman, Kendall Wagner, Lola English, Kedda Bissman, Kelsie Wagner, Carrie Ditty and Riley Salizzoni pose for a photo before a girls tennis match against Montgomery on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, at Bucktail.

FARWELL – After earning a point on a multi-minute rally, Bucktail senior Eva Sockman stepped off to the side for a minute to breathe as she and her opponent tried to recall what game score was. At that point, her match against Montgomery’s Cali Barnes had traversed three hours, a slugfest that represented the overall match well.

Sockman had fought her way into position to grant her team the match-winning point, finding her first true edge since the early goings of the battle and winning three straight games to go up 4-1 in the set. Soon after the aforementioned rally, she made it four. And though Barnes cut the deficit to 5-2, the Buck would seal the deal one game later.

In a match that featured three three-set bouts, two tiebreakers and plenty of twists and turns, Bucktail (4-0) overcame just enough adversity to edge out the Red Raiders, 3-2. Sockman and Lola English won two of those three-set bouts in singles and doubles duo Kedda Bissman and Kelsie Wagner edged out a straight-set match that featured a tiebreaker, as the Bucks made it four straight victories to open the season.

“I’m definitely tired, but my goal was to pull through because we needed to win as a team,” said Sockman following her match. “This is a huge win in the long run for us.”

“Montgomery is always one of our hardest opponents, and I can’t believe we edged them out this time,” emphasized Bucktail head coach Alison Heiser. “The girls have just been awesome. They’re dedicated, committed and easily coachable. It’s been a fun season so far.”

In Sockman’s case, it wasn’t just a contest that tested her physical endurance. It was a mental battle that challenged her confidence.

After she took a 4-1 lead in the first set, Barnes seemed to figure Sockman out, clawing her way back into striking distance and staying there. She fought her way out of multiple set points, extended the set twice, forced a tiebreaker and stifled a late Sockman rally to take the set, 7-6 (7-4).

But rather than buckle under the momentum shift, Sockman kept trusting her play.

She faced a similar scenario in the second when Barnes closed the gap at 5-5, forcing Sockman to either win the next two games or a tiebreaker to extend. However, this time, the Bucktail senior shook off the pressure, dominating the next game and prevailing when the next set point presented itself.

“I have some great coaches. I had Allison (Heiser) and Sarah Jane telling me to trust myself, do me and not go out there a be something I’m not,” said Sockman on what kept her composed. “Using my power (was key). Not trying to keep lobbing, hitting spots and making her work because she was making me work too and short shots.”

“She’s amazing. That was definitely the hardest match I’ve ever played, so props to her too,” she added on Barnes.

Bucktail’s remaining wins featured similar tests, as mental fortitude and personal trust were prevalent through the match’s entirety.

On Singles Court 3, English found herself on the receiving end of a potential comeback, seeing her 6-0, 2-1 lead diminished into a 1-1 tie in just five games. Longtime friend Ava Hartman had figured something out, winning five straight to close the gap, and it was up to English to return the tide.

But despite the shift, the senior made the bounce back look seamless. She re-established the serves and chase that granted her that first-set sweep, taking a 3-0 lead and winning six of seven to claim the match, 6-0, 2-6, 6-1.

“I think really just focused on my mechanics honestly. She’s fast, so just hitting away from her as much as I could,” said English when discussing the bounce back. “There were definitely some ups and downs, but I fought back quite a bit and just trusted my training.”

And on Doubles Court 2, Bissman and Wagner saw their initial 2-0 lead turn into a 5-4 deficit through a hard-fought, back-and-forth first set. But they’d extend the set there, then again when Montgomery’s Arianna Snyder and Lainie Solano took a 6-5 lead.

Then, in the tiebreaker, when Snyder and Solano erased a 5-2 deficit, Bissman and Wagner held firm. Behind Bissman’s serves and Wagner’s spikes, it scored three of the last four points. Wagner’s spikes gave the Buck pair a 7-6 and 8-7 lead, the latter which they built upon to win the set, 9-7.

With the momentum on their side, they’d dominate the second set by a score of 6-2, winning the last three games to take it. They made the most of the effort, and the result was Bucktail’s first crucial point of the match.

On the back of the Bucks’ toughest win of the season’s early going, Heiser looks forward to seeing her squad continue to improve. Their next match takes place on Thursday, where they’ll play host to Wellsboro at 4 p.m.

“I see a lot we still have to work on, so next week I’m looking forward to hitting the back hands, drops shots and all that stuff,” said Heiser. “But I think we’re going to get better, and I have my eyes on Hershey this year.”

For Montgomery (3-1), five strong efforts produced two team points. Madisyn Miller posted a 6-2, 6-3 win over Kendall Wagner, shutting down a potential second-set rally. And in doubles, Avelyn Moore and Emily Miller won a thrilling, three-set bout, defeating Bucktail’s Riley Salizzoni and Carrie Ditty, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

“On both sides, it was an excellent match,” said Montgomery assistant coach Robin Travis. “I think they were evenly paired and very sportsmanlike. Both sides of the red did an excellent job.”

The Red Raiders will look to bounce back on Thursday, facing Hughesville at home at 4 p.m.

Bucktail 3, Montgomery 2

SINGLES

1. Eva Sockman (B) def. Cali Barnes (M), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-2. 2. Madisyn Miller (M) def. Kendall Wagner (B), 6-2, 6-3. 3. Lola English (B) def. Ava Hartman (M), 6-0, 2-6, 6-1.

DOUBLES

1. Kedda Bissman/Kelsie Wagner (B) def. Arianna Snyder/Lainie Solano (M), 7-6 (9-7), 6-2. 2. Avelyn Moore/Emily Miller (M) def. Riley Salizzoni/Carrie Ditty (B), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.