PERRYSBURG — Emotions were running high when Perrysburg and Bowling Green faced off in a girls tennis match Thursday.

In tennis, mental mistakes often make the difference between winning and losing, and it was visibly obvious players on both teams wanted to win.

In the end, Perrysburg won the team match, 4-1, at Perrysburg Tennis Center to improve to 11-3 overall and 3-1 in the Northern Lakes League, with the Yellow Jackets’ only conference loss coming to Anthony Wayne.

BG is also 11-3 and 3-1 as the Bobcats suffered their first conference loss.

“Everybody competed well today. Perrysburg is a solid team up and down the lineup,” said BG coach Andy Drumm.

In first doubles, Perrysburg juniors Amelia Taylor and Brianna Dunham defeated BG seniors Audrey Geyman and Hannah Mathey, 6-3, 6-2. The Perrysburg duo has found a chemistry that works.

“For Amelia and I this is our first year playing together and hopefully not our last,” Dunham said. “I like the way we groove on the court. It’s so cool, the way we hit together.”

In second doubles, Perrysburg junior Sophia Lanno and freshman Madi Watkins got through a tightly contested second set to prevail, 6-2, 7-5, over BG senior Audrey Nester and junior Audra Hammer.

“Doubles were very entertaining, particularly second doubles. Our girls went down 4-1 in the second set, and we were able to rally and finish,” Perrysburg coach Charles Brigode said.

Drumm added, “First doubles, we played tough, but we just couldn’t get the right points at the right time. Second doubles, it was a close match, and a real close second set.”

In third singles, Perrysburg senior Emerson Metzger defeated BG freshman Sarah Mathey, 6-0, 6-1.

“Emerson took care of business on her court. She is very solid,” Brigode said.

Drumm added, “(Mathey) played tough, just the score didn’t show it. But we were in a lot of points there and she was playing a girl with a lot of tournament experience, so that is tough.”

The emotions ran high when BG’s Barnett sisters faced off in first and second singles, the elder Barnett winning and the younger Barnett falling in three sets.

BG’s only win was by junior Elizabeth “Libby” Barnett, who took a 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 victory over Perrysburg freshman Penelope Giammarco in first singles.

Barnett was down 5-2 in the first set, then took 10 of 11 games and a first set tiebreaker to close the match victorious.

Brigode said that Giammarco ran into a “mental block” late in the first set, but the older Barnett managed to play steady and keep unforced errors at a minimum.

“She had a lot of composure today. She played hard, came back from being down 5-2 in that first set and really persevered and played mentally tough,” Drumm said.

“She did a lot of good things in the tiebreak and then just sort of powered through that second set.”

Barnett said “composure” was the theme discussed by the team captains before the match.

“It’s very important. We had a captain’s meeting earlier today and we were talking about how you keep your composure when you’re playing, whether you are on a team or by yourself playing tennis,” Barnett said.

“I was trying to remind myself what we were talking about earlier, but sometimes I have trouble keeping my composure and staying calm, but I did it pretty well.”

Barnett and Giammarco played multiple points that came down to attrition, one way or the other.

“Penelope is an amazing player. She is so good,” Barnett said. “We play here all the time at PTC. She’s incredible, and first singles as a freshman is awesome. She played super well, but I’m happy.”

In second singles, Perrysburg junior Allison Barry prevailed over BG freshman Julia Barnett in a marathon two-and-a-half-hour match, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5).

“It was toe to toe with Allison in second singles and that was also a really mental match. A lot of emotions swinging both ways,” Brigode said.

Perrysburg and BG are two programs that have developed into upper division teams in the NLL along with AW and Sylvania Northview. Both Wood County teams are ranked in the latest Northwest Ohio Division I coaches’ poll.

AW is led by defending Division I state runner-up Lilly Black, who Giammarco had to face earlier in the week, so winning in this league is by no means an easy assignment.

Perrysburg, which has 43 girls on its roster, was unveiling banners for its five seniors Thursday.

BG, a smaller school enrollment-wise, has 23 players. However, Drumm likes the fact that he has nearly two dozen girls interested in playing the game.

“It’s good to have a big team and then all these girls have experience, and they are ready to play in varsity the following year,” Drumm said.

The players love the game, too.

“I love this team with all my heart,” Libby Barnett said. “These girls are amazing. I look forward to going to practice every single day with them. They make me so happy.”

Perrysburg’s Dunham added about her squad, “We all get along well and encourage each other while we are playing the matches. It’s real nice.”