Tennis, Bowling
Favorite athlete: Cole Hamels
Favorite team: Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning a tiebreaker for the league title this year.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Playing a doubles team that faked accents throughout the entire match.
Music on iPod: Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons, LIGHTS
Future plans: Go to college and find the right major
Words to live by: “In a world where you can be anything, be yourself.”
One goal before turning 30: Travel outside of the country
One thing people don’t know about me: I like to sew.
By Mary Jane Souder
A strange thing happened in Abington’s tennis showdown with Pennsbury this fall. The match was halted because of darkness with the two teams deadlocked 3-3, and the Ghosts’ first doubles team of Ashley Lyons and Jeannie Van Buren leading 2-0 in the pivotal tiebreaker.
“Our coaches talked to each other, and we tried to get another court to play that day, like an indoor court, but we couldn’t find anything, so we had to play a week later,” Lyons said.
A whole lot transpired before the two teams met again to complete the match. The Falcons notched a key win over Council Rock North to put themselves in a position where a win in their unfinished tiebreaker would give the Ghosts their first National Conference crown in three years.
“Since we had that Council Rock North match in between the tiebreaker and finishing it, I had to stay focused on the match we had with Rock North,” Lyons said. “As the week progressed and I found out it was for the league it definitely put more pressure on me, but I tried to keep my mind off of it for the most part, so when it came, I wasn’t overthinking it.”
It took less than 10 minutes for Lyons and Van Buren to earn a 7-4 win that clinched a conference title for the Ghosts.
“We drove all the way to Pennsbury, and they had brought some of their other sports teams,” Lyons said. “When we stepped onto the court, they brought all these people to watch.
“It was pressure, but at the same time, being up 2-0 in that tiebreaker definitely helped. We wanted to keep it slow, take it point by point and definitely don’t get ahead of ourselves and really just focus on playing each point.
“It was really nice to have my partner Jeannie with me because that made it a lot easier, being a doubles team rather than just being by myself.”
Abington coach Kristy Ashcraft was not surprised to see her senior captain rise to the occasion.
“She had a lot of pressure, and she really stepped up to the plate,” Ashcraft said. “She’s shown a lot of growth.
“Ashley has steadily improved every season and has made excellent strides in her game. She was a team captain and was a good role model for her teammates.
“She was kind and respectful to everyone on the team and went out of her way to make sure everyone felt included. Ashley is a true pleasure to coach, and she never complains or makes excuses. She is always emotionally and mentally steady and calm on the court.”
Lyons, according to Ashcraft, also is the consummate team player, a quality she demonstrated after the team’s title clinching win over the Falcons.
“That Pennsbury match was pretty monumental, and she was so humble about it,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “She never made it seem like it was her. She was so unselfish.
“She wanted everyone to enjoy it. She really enjoyed being around the team and wanted the team to win and for everyone to feel together and a part of it.”
Winning a conference crown put the finishing touches on a three-year varsity career that saw Lyons play third doubles as a sophomore and second doubles as a junior before moving up to first single this year.
“It was a really nice way to end my high school years,” she said of the conference title. “I felt really accomplished.
“All the hard work I put into it – it was definitely worth all the preseason and everything we went through. It really brought the team together.”
Lyons has been playing tennis since she was a youngster, learning the sport under the tutelage of her father, but she didn’t play it competitively until she was in seventh grade when she went out for her junior high team.
“It was kind of a family sport,” Lyons said. “My dad played all the time, so we always played for fun.”
Lyons also played soccer and basketball but gave those up in favor of tennis. She’s also been bowling for a long time and is the top female bowler on Abington’s team. She bowls in a Saturday morning junior league at Thunderbird Lanes in Willow Grove, inheriting her love of that sport from her mother.
Last year, Lyons missed out on earning a berth in districts in bowling by one spot.
“You want to be in the top 12 to make it to districts as individuals without going to the league tournament,” she said. “I ended up 13th, so I didn’t make it.
“It definitely gave me the motivation to come back this year and improve and try to make it into the top 12.”
Softball also is on Lyons’ resume. She has been playing community softball since her t-ball days.
“Playing sports has been important to me,” she said. “It helped me not only on the court but also in school – having that team to support you and having the coaches giving advice.
“It helps not only in matches but doing my schoolwork. It definitely motivates me, and it’s helped me with my time management.”
Lyons, who is uncertain of her future plans, also has been involved in Abington’s Key Club, and according to Ashcraft, she’s the kind of player any coach would want on their team.
“She was just was so easy to please, was so easy to coach and was willing to do whatever she needed to do for the best of the team,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “She played with any partner, she played in any spot, and she always did it with a smile on her face, never a complaint, never a whine, never an excuse. She just worked her hardest and did her best to help the team.
“She’s just a really sweet, kind person. Off the tennis court, she’s well respected by all the faculty, other coaches and teachers. She’s a true pleasure to have around.”
