Captains ace leadership test for Quaker Valley tennis

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, November 16, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Livia Jobbins, Jane Lenhard and Parker Barnes shared a common bond on the Quaker Valley girls tennis team this season.

The three seniors served as the QV team’s tri-captains and did so in exemplary fashion as the Quakers won the WPIAL Class 2A team championship.

The QV girls also advanced to the final four at the PIAA tournament in Hershey.

“There is a widely accepted theory that at a company, organization or even a high school tennis team, success starts at the top,” QV coach Christi Hays said. ”Well, that statement could certainly be applied to the hugely successful 2025 Quaker Valley girls tennis team. There was great success on the court.

“But a great deal of that success happened off the court because of the outstanding leadership of the three varsity captains — Jane Lenhard, Livia Jobbins and Parker Barnes. Not only were all three ladies successful contributors on the court, but they helped one of our youngest teams in recent years navigate a hectic and successful three months. They managed to bring a very eclectic group together.”

Jobbins competed at the second or third singles spots in the lineup for the Quakers this season. She is president of the Latino Club and a member of the National Honor Society and student council.

“This was by far one of the best teams I have ever to played for,” Jobbins said. “Everyone was always excited and happy to be at the courts. The energy was unmatched.

“I am very proud that in this season, everyone came together and made the WPIAL championship title possible.”

Jobbins has a 4.32 GPA and plans study civil engineering in college. She said the captains had an assortment of duties to perform.

“I mainly planned the fundraisers for the team,” she said. “Our yearly bake sale and the Caliente fundraiser were very successful. I also worked with the other captains to run captain-led practices and team events.”

Jobbins, Parker and Lenhard all were four-year team members.

“From day one, Livia took on the unenviable role of organizing our team fundraisers,” Hays said. “She organized a car wash by immediately reserving space at a gas station that was very popular. She organized the advertising and details. Another fundraiser was at one of our local restaurants. Again, she managed all the details. And finally, she pulled together our annual bake sale, always a popular event.

“On and off the court, Livia has very high energy which serves her well. She stays very busy at QV.”

Barnes and junior Noor Ashfaq were doubles partners in 2025. Barnes is a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club, student council and is president of the Girls Tech Alliance. She hopes to study cybersecurity or business analytics/IT in college.

“I am very proud of my teammates,” Barnes said. “They worked hard for every win and definitely deserved to make it to the semifinals in states. I enjoyed playing doubles with my partners and loved to watch my teammates dominate on the courts. And I am especially proud of the three freshmen (Grace Jadlowiec, Lily McClain, Lucy John) because it is not easy adjusting to a new coach and new people this fast. They were all super sweet and super talented.

“My teammates throughout every year have been super supportive and inclusive of each other, which I don’t think every team has. We bonded very easily, and it’s really important to have that energy on a team. They made me want to continue playing tennis and still have fun with it.”

Barnes said the QV captains sometimes acted as “mini-coaches” during the season.

“We led practices when our coach wasn’t there,” she said. “We planned our fundraisers, and I planned and ordered the sweatshirts for our team.”

Hays said purchasing the sweatshirts was a major task.

“Parker was the teammate that everyone could depend on,” said the hall-of-fame coach. “She provided a quiet, even balance to the team, but she also has a wicked sense of humor. And she came through with something that we had procrastinated abut all season — getting matching team sweatshirts — so that we would look like a team.

“Not only did she organize getting the sizing for both the varsity and JV, she dealt with the company making the shirts. And on top of that, she and Livia and Jane worked with PeakPGH Gear and came up with an original design for the shirt.”

Lenhard, who has a 4.2 GPA, and sophomore Kate Miller competed at the second doubles spot this fall. Lenhard finished with a 15-0 record while Miller was 14-0

“If the team had a ‘big sister’ personality, it was definitely Jane,” Hays said. “In addition to the tennis team, Jane is also a member of the cheer squad, so she was very busy providing spirit to the team, her doubles partner and also other QV teams.

“In her captain’s remarks at our closing banquet, she referred to each of the underclassmen on the team as ‘her girls.’ She was a natural leader and captain.”

The QV senior has been accepted into a few colleges but is waiting to make a decision until she receives all replies. She said the tennis team was an important part of her life.

“Quaker Valley tennis has been so good to me the past four years,” Lenhard said. “Starting varsity as a freshman and becoming a captain my senior year has been amazing. I got so much better each season and made so many close friendships.

“It became my life every fall and has taught me so much about overcoming my own limitations. Even over the summers when I was busy with pre-college preparation, tennis was so important for me to focus on. I hope to continue playing, and I am forever grateful for the opportunities given to me through QV tennis.”

Lenhard said the three captains were in charge of various aspects of the team.

“Along with the other captains,” she said, “I organized our fundraisers, led warmups during practice, ran a few practices when our coaches were gone or running behind and offered guidance and support to teammates.

“I definitely filled the role as a team leader this year while my other captains worked really hard on the more behind-the-scenes organizing, but we all got to do everything.”

Lenhard is involved in the Latino Club, Key Club and student council at QV. She had a distinctive and memorable summer experience, spending a month at a Russian language camp in Bemidji in northern Minnesota. It was 28 days of no phones or electronic devices, and no English was spoken.

“It was very immersive,” Hays said, “speaking nothing but Russian, studying and having no electronics for a whole month. That shows a tremendous amount of discipline.”

Not only did the Quakers win the WPIAL team championship and place third in the state with a 14-2 overall record, they also were section and MAC tournament winners. And sophomore Avery Allan was the silver medalist at the WPIAL Class 2A singles tournament.

“This was one of the nicest and most talented teams we’ve ever had,” Hays said. “And they got along so well and supported each other. And the example was definitely set by our three senior captains. Playing on a high school team is not easy. It’s like walking a tightrope, and it’s an amazing balancing act — balancing school and practice and matches and friends and parents and injuries and a social life and on and on. Walking that tightrope requires lots of support.

“Jane, Livia and Parker provided that support to the team in their own ways. Not all captains are created equal. Some are captains in name only. But these three took their roles seriously and were actively involved with not just the varsity but also the JV.”

While fundraising was a big part of the captains’ roles, the three girls each knew they needed to represent the team in other areas as well.

“I’m not sure if they made a conscious choice, but each of them took on different roles for the team and utilized their different personalities and strengths really well,” Hays said. “As a coach, I am always hoping our captains will represent the values of our program. They need to bring the team together and focused on a common goal. It is important that they are able to work with everyone on the team and not just their friends.

“These three ladies did all of those things successfully and each in their own unique way.”

The QV captains will be sorely missed by the team’s veteran coach.

“Each year, it is difficult to say goodbye to the senior team members,” Hays said. “In addition to the three varsity seniors, the JV team also had three active and talented seniors in Gabi Pulce, Mackenzie Felouzis and Lauren Happe.

“In a tribute to all of them, I rewrote the lyrics to an old Neil Sedaka song and dedicated it to them as a tribute because ‘breakin’ up is hard to do.’ This year, especially.”

Tags: Quaker Valley