Mt. Lebanon wins WPIAL title in girls tennis
Mt. Lebanon’s WPIAL title for girls tennis signified a new beginning.
While the 3-2 triumph over Bethel Park on Oct. 17 marked the second Class 3A crown in three seasons and tied the Blue Devils for the district lead with rival Upper St. Clair, their 15th team championship marked the start of something special.
“The banner in Mt. Lebanon had one spot left before they could get another tennis banner,” said Blue Devil skipper Chad Brown. “When you win and you tie Upper St. Clair, it means a lot and is really cool but it’s not enough. We want to keep going. We want that new banner and the new lead in the WPIAL in girls tennis. That’s the goal.”
The Blue Devils reached their goal of a title in 2024 by utilizing its depth.
Lebo swept the doubles action, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the competition.
Senior Sylvie Eriksen and junior Sarah Stroh combined for a win over sophomore Cassie Sierka and junior Kiera Ross, 7-5, 6-1, at No. 1 doubles.
Junior Allie Garcia and sophomore Maggie Meehan defeated BP seniors Amelia Lancet and Sara Walters, 6-0, 6-4, at No. 2 doubles.
“Depth is how you win WPIAL titles in tennis,” Brown said. “We did the same thing two years ago by winning both doubles.
“It’s hard to lose unless you are that strong in singles.
Singles can go either way, but it’s hard to win all three singles.”
BP made it difficult for the Blue Devils, winning at No. 1 and No. 3 singles. However, Michelle Yang clinched the match as she did when she combined for the doubles win during the 2022 championship. Yang dispatched sophomore Mackenzie Smock, 6-3, 7-5.
“No. 2 singles was a real nail biter,” Brown said. “Michelle was able to pull it out. She knew what she had to do and we were there to support her.”
Bethel Park had strong support from Cami Fisher and Julia Gobbie. Fisher topped junior Jackie Tang, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 1 singles while Gobbie outlasted senior Ellie Tatel, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
The Lady Hawks were the 2023 WPIAL team champions. They finished runner-up to the Blue Devils in the section, falling, 3-2, in their previous match.
Bethel Park entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed. After beating Thomas Jefferson and Peters Township in the opening rounds of the tournament, the Lady Hawks toppled No. 2 seed Shady Side Academy, 3-2, to advance to the championships played at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center on the Washington and Jefferson College campus.
In the win over the Bulldogs, Fisher upset the WPIAL singles champion and Gobbi won a three-set thriller in her match.
“Getting here was a heck of an accomplishment, especially the way we did it by beating Shady Side,” said BP skipper Doug Addington. “Getting to the championship was a cherry on the ice cream.
“We didn’t get them,” Addington added. “(Lebo) was tougher than us. We look forward to being in the same place with them next year.”
The possibility could come sooner as both teams advanced to the PIAA team tournament. Regardless, the WPIAL final was an all-South Hills representation.
“Whoever they get in states is going to be unfortunate and whoever gets us, it’s going to be tough for them,” Addington said. “But what is absolutely awesome is that the two finalists in the WPIAL came from our section. Over the course of the years this will be remembered. We couldn’t have asked for more and there will be lots of meetings again.”
Mt. Lebanon reached the WPIAL championship match with a 5-0 win over 16th-seeded Baldwin, 4-1 triumph versus eighth-seeded Pine-Richland, and another 5-0 victory against fifth-seeded Fox Chapel.
The Blue Devils were Section IV champions with an 8-0 record. They entered PIAA tournament action with a 15-0 slate. They also have the WPIAL championship doubles tandem in Yang and Tang.