However, the senior-freshman pairing didn’t blink in response. Using the ‘yes we can’ mentality the Bucks have carried throughout the season and technique they’ve honed throughout it, the duo quickly carved out momentum through the second set, taking a 5-2 lead and fighting off a rally to edge out the set, 6-4.

Once they had that momentum, they never let go, capping things off with a dominant 6-2 third set. That point, coupled with two hard-fought, straight-set victories earned by seniors Eva Sockman and Kendall Wagner, proved pivotal, as the team clinched a 3-0 win over No. 6 seed Lewisburg to advance to the District 4 Class AA team semifinals.

The win marked Bucktail’s first in district quarters since 2022, building on what’s already been a strong campaign for the program. The No. 3 seeded team has now won eight matches in a row, and it’ll look to make it nine next Tuesday against No. 2 seeded Loyalsock.

“That’s pretty big news. I don’t know if we’ve moved on in a while,” said Bissman on the team advancing. “It’s a big step for tennis this year, especially for our four seniors.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bucktail's Kedda Bissman performs a backhand return during a District 4 Class AA quarterfinal girls tennis match against Lewisburg on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at Bucktail. The Bucks won 3-0.

“I’m just so proud of them. They came out and played hard from the get-go,” said Bucktail head coach Alison Heiser on the win. “There’s a lot going on this weekend with Flaming Foliage and some of them being queens, but these girls are just focused and committed. It’s like nothing I’ve seen in a long time.”

Like Wagner and Bissman, their opponents – Morgan Strieby and Ceci Cunado-James – threatened to steal back the momentum, shaking off a 3-0 deficit in the second set and getting out to a 2-1 lead in the third. But the Bucks’ poise remained.

In the third, they’d need just one game to tie it back up. Then, they’d take full control, winning four more in a row to clinch the team’s second point.

“It was a bit of a rough start, but we locked in,” said Bissman on the match. “Our coach always says our mentality is the most important thing, so just keeping that mind. Like don’t give up. And if we do lose the first one, win the second one, then win the third one.”

“Just keep on cheering each other up,” emphasized Wagner.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bucktail's Lola English prepares to serve during a District 4 Class AA quarterfinal girls tennis match against Lewisburg on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at Bucktail. The Bucks won 3-0.

That mentality carried throughout the rest of Bucktail’s matches.

Both Kendall Wagner and Eva Sockman faced and overcame 5-4 deficits in their first sets against Christina Zheng and Dayssi Weis, with Sockman also winning five straight to overcome a 5-2 deficit in the second. Sockman’s held the pressure of being the match clincher, concluding with a tense, back-and-forth final game. And Wagner’s held the pressure of being its potential first, the tone setter.

For Wagner, she’d face that pressure in three separate scenarios.

After taking a 6-5 lead in the first, Zheng would take the next game to extend the set to a tiebreaker. The pair traded points before Wagner took over, catching Zheng off-balance with great corner shots using both hands and earning five straight points to win the tiebreaker, 7-2.

She’d come roaring out in the second set, taking a 5-2 lead, but Zheng gave her one last hurdle to overcome, claiming back-to-back games to cut the deficit to 5-4. However, Wagner stayed composed and proved up to the challenge, dominating the final game behind three straight points to give her team the lead.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bucktail's Eva Sockman calls out on a return during a District 4 Class AA quarterfinal girls tennis match against Lewisburg on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at Bucktail. The Bucks won 3-0.

Having worked on her back hand throughout the week, the senior was able to put it all together, shaking off a rough spell to help Bucktail take home its biggest win in three years. She used that extra dimension to her benefit, and that, coupled with poise garnered from multiple sports, allowed her to prevail.

“I didn’t get too nervous,” said Wagner when discussing her match. “Winning for my team kept me motivated and just having the experience behind me and knowing what to do in those situations.”

“She had lost a couple in a row but just came out today and put everything out there,” said Heiser on Wagner. “She used all of her tools, and I’m just really happy that it paid off for her because she deserved it.”

Outside of the team’s three victories, Lola English and Ella Markunas saw a three-set battle go unfinished, with English taking the first set and Markunas bouncing back in the second, forcing and winning a tiebreak. The pair would trade games through the third, with Markunas holding a 4-3 lead when the match wrapped up.

Overall, every match and every set featured its own test, exactly what you’d expect from a quarterfinal round. The Green Dragons (11-6) gave Bucktail (13-1) a tremendous challenge, with every Buck experiencing a deficit at one time or another. But ultimately, they found a way to prevail, moving on to the Final Four.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bucktail's Kendall Wagner performs a backhand return during a District 4 Class AA quarterfinal girls tennis match against Lewisburg on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at Bucktail. The Bucks won 3-0.

“All we do is focus on not giving up,” said Heiser. “We’ve seen it in our 18 years of coaching how anybody can come back from a match. These girls are no strangers to that.”

They’ll look to carry that momentum forward into a tough matchup against No. 2 seeded Loyalsock (17-1), the first time the squads will face off this season. That District 4 Class AA semifinal bout is set for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, with the location yet to be determined.

Bucktail 3, Lewisburg 0

SINGLES

Eva Sockman (B) def. Dayssi Weis (L), 7-5, 7-5. 2. Kendall Wagner (B) def. Christina Zheng (L), 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. 3. Ella Markunas (L) led Lola English (B), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 4-3 (DNF).

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bucktail's Lola English prepares to serve during a District 4 Class AA quarterfinal girls tennis match against Lewisburg on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at Bucktail. The Bucks won 3-0.

DOUBLES

Kedda Bissman/Kelsie Wagner (B) def. Morgan Strieby/Ceci Cunado-James (L), 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-2. 2. Nora Driver/Hailey Exley (L) led Riley Salizzoni/Carrie Ditty (B) 3-0 (DNF).

Records: Lewisburg 11-6; Bucktail 13-1.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bucktail's Eva Sockman performs a forehand return during a District 4 Class AA quarterfinal girls tennis match against Lewisburg on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at Bucktail. The Bucks won 3-0.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bucktail's Kendall Wagner meets Lewisburg's Christina Zheng at the net during a District 4 Class AA quarterfinal girls tennis match against Lewisburg on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at Bucktail. The Bucks won 3-0.