Despite falling in the state playoff semifinals Wednesday, the Southeast Bulloch tennis team completed one of the best seasons in school history. 

The Jackets advanced to the state Final 4 with a young squad. One of the youngsters who has caught the eye of head coach Tom Lieu is sophomore Lydia Fowler who has been playing first doubles for the Jackets.

“It’s been a great season, we started off with some tough matches and it prepared us to well to grow through the season,” Fowler said. “This season I have really focused on my mental game. Not letting my mistakes affect my game so that I can better focus on resetting and recovering for the next point. Our team has really come together this year and it feels like we are peaking at the right time for this playoff run. We are so proud of how far we have come.”

“Lydia has grown such a significant amount not only in her skills on the court but off the court as a leader as well,” lieu said. “She has been one of the many key players that has helped this group of girls to truly become a championship caliber team.

“It’s hard to believe that she’s only been playing since the seventh grade, and has consistently started for me every year of her tennis career. She had a pretty successful season at the third singles line last year but shifted this year to play doubles with her partner Sydney Kate Aaron. They were a doubles team in middle school and have really rebuilt their chemistry nicely as they are 16-6 this year.”