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CM’s Lindsay used state semifinal loss as fuel for senior year

Two wins removed from her second state title in 2025, Central Mountain girls tennis phenom Addison Lindsay experienced a result she hadn't endured since her freshman season.

The then-junior fell to eventual PIAA Class AAA champ Amelia Williams in straight sets to drop to the tournament's third-place match. And while she bounced back there, posting a gentleman's sweep to claim her third top three finish at states, the loss stuck with her in the weeks that followed.

However, eventually, that grief transformed into determination. With one more season to cap her storied career on a high note, the Wildcat used that loss to fuel the following offseason as she prepared to pursue her second title.

"At first, it put me in a bit of a slump where I just felt like I was doing all this for nothing. But then, it became my biggest motivator to just go for it again, keep building off it and use the loss as something to work for," said Lindsay.

"I went into that match playing scared. I was just scared to lose rather than just playing to win, so I played not to lose and that ended up losing me the match. I just didn't do what I was taught to do."

Now, three days away from the start of the PIAA Class AA singles championships, Lindsay has a chance to put that altered mindset to use and claim her second gold. The senior won her fourth District 6 title without dropping a game and will look to carry that momentum into states starting on Thursday.

"I'm just looking to do better than I did last year," said Lindsay. "Not results-wise, but more mindset-wise, just not playing scared and going out there and competing the way I've competed my entire life."

Following November of last season, Lindsay got to work improving and testing herself wherever she could. While her offseasons have always been filled with endless hours of hard work, from refining her technique on the court with her dad to building strength and conditioning off it, her most recent offseason was different for multiple reasons.

For one, she upped the ante when it came to her training regimen, putting more hours in than her previous offseasons. But the biggest difference was the level of competition she took on outside of high school.

Lindsay not only competed in the USTA Girls' 18s Clay Court Championships - a national level tournament featuring some of the best talent in the country - but earned the tournament's crown. Her 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 win over Julia Sevensen was enough to land her a national ranking within her age group, and the event as a whole was a surreal experience.

"It was the most amazing thing ever," said Lindsay. "After states, I felt like I didn't belong. So, to go and play a national tournament and get through that many matches in that heat, I felt fulfilled with how hard I worked to get there."

That success, coupled with improvements in her back hand and returns, helped build her confidence to the highest level possible heading into her senior season, a season she went on to dominate. She went much of the campaign without even dropping a game, ultimately dropping just one against Selinsgrove, and officially made it four straight regular seasons without losing a match in Mid-October.

With that, all that's left now is for her to complete her final run of state singles, set to begin this Thursday in Hershey. And whatever happens on Thursday and Friday, the Central Mountain senior has already put together the most decorated career in program history.

Her sophomore state singles title marked the first in Central Mountain, Clinton County and District 6 history. She's earned a top three finish in all three of her state tournament appearances so far, placing second as a freshman and third as a junior, and never lost a high school match outside of states.

"I can't come up with enough adjectives to describe who she is," said Central Mountain girls tennis head coach Tom Zettle when discussing Lindsay earlier in the season. "She's amazing. She's only lost two matches and both were at states, and I think that tells you everything you need to know about her."

Following the school year, Lindsay's next chapter will bring her to Penn State, where she'll join her older brother, David.

The pair picked up tennis at about the same time, with Addison starting around her fifth or sixth birthday, and have since gone on to etch their names into Central Mountain history, combining eight district titles and three state championships. The younger Lindsay looks forward to joining her brother and furthering her storied career as a Nittany Lion.

"We practiced a lot in the summer together. And as much as I don't want to admit it, I look up to him a lot because he's a harder worker than anyone I've ever met," said Lindsay.

"I'm just looking forward to it. I love the team, the coach and the atmosphere, so I'm just hoping it'll be a great four years."