BETHLEHEM - Mallory Conner is accustomed to the tournament tennis scene and the expectations that come with playing at a high level.

But Thursday was unlike anything she had seen before.

Yet the pressure of a new experience and different surroundings didn’t faze the Northwestern freshman.

Conner left Lehigh University’s Ulrich Courts with a pair of victories and a spot in today’s District 11 Class 2A semifinals.

“The tournaments I play in are kind of like this, but this is way different,” Conner said. “It’s crazy.”

Since Northwestern doesn’t have a tennis team, Conner gets most of her competition through United States Tennis Association (USTA) events in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Conner’s success in those matches helped her achieve the No. 2 seed in the Class 2A bracket for the district tournament, and she showcased her abilities with two impressive wins to reach the semifinals.

“I feel like I played way better in my second match, so I feel like I settled in a lot more,” she said. “In my first match, I felt like I was kind of antsy, like I was kind of pushing it too much. And in my second match, sometimes my serve will kind of help get me into a match, and that kind of helped me there, so that was nice.”

Conner posted a 6-2, 6-2 win over Moravian Academy’s Laura Li in the first round, before topping Saucon Valley’s Olivia Kuehner, who was seeded seventh, 6-0, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.

“Honestly, I was asked by my coach if I was nervous, but I honestly wasn’t,” Conner said. “I do want to do good, but I know if I’m nervous then I might not play as good, so I was trying to just get into the mindset of do good, and whatever happens, happens.”

Conner will face Bethlehem Catholic’s Cara Magliochetti, the No. 3 seed, in the semifinals.

Jim Thorpe senior Tara McLean battled Allentown Central Catholic junior Catherine Grubb in a first-round match that went well over two hours and pushed both players to their limits. After dropping the first set, Grubb, the No. 9 seed, rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win over McLean, who was seeded eighth.

“It was a lot,” said McLean. “It could have gone either way, you know? I just noticed that every point was like by two. It was just a long time, and it was a battle. But I just didn’t play as good as I thought I would. She got everything back. I had a hard time adapting at first, but I settled down in the end, even though I still lost. But I think that she’s a great player, and she has a lot to look forward to.”

Making an impact

Though not experienced in varsity scholastic matches, Conner noted that she plays tournaments at least every other weekend, if not two weekends in a row.

She started playing the sport when she was around five years old.

“And my grandma, she’s in her 70s and she still plays tennis,” said Conner. “So she got me into it, and she got my dad into it and he plays.”

Conner’s current routine includes trips to Northwood Racquet & Fitness in Easton two days a week, lessons with her coach two or three days a week, a day of strength training and then tournaments typically on the weekends.

Though the district tournament was delayed from Monday due to weather, Conner was no less eager to take the court on Thursday.

“I was excited for it to happen,” she said. “I knew coming in, this is my first year; freshmen don’t really win districts. So I just want to do good. I wanted to get to semifinals at least.”

Conner noted she has played Magliochetti multiple times at Northwood. She also had previously played Li.

Her success in the tournament and throughout her career has been no surprise to coach Brian Bleam, who she has worked with for around nine years.

“I’m not surprised because I’ve been working with her for so long,” said Bleam. “I’ve coached at the high school level, and I coached at Muhlenberg so I’ve seen the level of competition, and with Mallory, she’s got the ‘it’ factor. It’s kind of hard to put into words, but she’s very confident and that’s one of the things I stress with her, is to be confident and try and enjoy the challenge of the competition.

“And it’s kind of like she gets to prove herself, too, because people are trying to see who she is. So this avenue gives her a chance to compete against all the best players in the Lehigh Valley.”

For Conner, who also plays basketball, the competition is what she thrives on.

“I play all year,” Conner said of tennis. “It’s kind of just a nice break from everything else, but I still get to be competitive and enjoy that.”

In tennis, Conner controls her own destiny. And she has a clear path to what she wants to achieve.

“She plays in USTA tournaments and whatnot, so she’s played actually a lot of No. 1s in the area; she’s beaten many of them,” said Bleam, who noted Conner won 24 games and lost only five Thursday. “We decided that early on, because we knew that she didn’t have a tennis team to play on, so we thought about how we could solve this problem. So I’ve been working with her two days a week, then she goes to Northwood and practices with those girls and she competes in these tournaments to try to get her tournament tough and just get that experience of the competition.

“Most of the girls in high school, they don’t play in the USTA tournaments; it’s not that common. For her, that’s the route we chose, and we made a goal to be district champ, that’s her goal, which would be awesome as a freshman. It’s not going to be easy, but she’s got a good chance.”

Difficult defeat

McLean and Grubb faced off earlier this year, with McLean prevailing 6-4, 5-7, 10-8.

Grubb was down 3-5 in the second set, but managed to prevail in the tiebreaker before going on to win the third set.

It was back-and-forth throughout, but neither player wavered.

“As a match that lasted two-and-a-half hours, it’s a long time,” said Olympians’ coach Sam Lux. “The match ebbs and flows; you play well, you don’t play so well. It’s really just kind of finding the rhythm and getting back on track and not beating yourself up too much.

“I think Tara did a great job. She really did not get in her head that much. I mean, everyone gets in their own heads a little bit in tennis. But she really did a good job staying focused.”

And Lux, along with friends and family, encouraged McLean throughout the match.

“My coach always taught me energy and effort,” said McLean. “Even when you’re down, don’t beat yourself and just keep going, and just keep your energy and effort high, that’s all you need to do.”

It wasn’t the outcome she had hoped for, but McLean gave the type of effort that she always has - and always will.

“The entire McLean family, her older sister was in the program, her dad has been an assistant coach, so they’ve meant a lot to the Jim Thorpe tennis program. We really wouldn’t be as successful as we are without them,” said Lux. “Tara is just a great kid. She’s always positive with her teammates, she’s always there for her teammates, she’s at every practice; her commitment is there. It was really tough, she really wanted to win today of course, but that’s how it goes. She played absolutely fantastic, that’s just how it goes sometimes.”

LOOKING AHEAD

... The semifinals will take place today at Saucon Valley High School at 10 a.m., with the finals not beginning before 11:30.

LOOKING AHEAD PART II

... Jim Thorpe will take part in the District 11 Class 2A team tournament on Monday, and face Bethlehem Catholic.

WHERE SHE STANDS

... According to the Tennis Recruiting Network, Conner is ranked 14th in Pennsylvania, and 89th in the Middle Atlantic.