Bethel Park finishes runner-up in WPIAL team tennis
Lady Hawks fall to Shady Side in Class 3A final
For the second year in a row, Bethel Park finished runner-up in the WPIAL for girls tennis.
In a battle of undefeated teams, the Lady Hawks dropped a 4-1 decision to Shady Side Academy during the Class 3A final played Oct. 15 at the Janet Swanson Tennis Center on the Washington and Jefferson College campus.
“They’re a great team,” said BP head coach Gary Reese.
Indeed the Bulldogs were the Black Hawks’ equal as both clubs posted 14-0 undefeated regular season records.
Shady Side Academy was the Section III champion with a 7-0 slate while Bethel Park captured the Section IV crown with an identical 7-0 mark.
While the Black Hawks won their only WPIAL title in 2023 and finished runner-up to Mt. Lebanon in 2024, the Bulldogs picked up their sixth district banner, the first since 2010.
They also boasted a three-time champion at No. 1 singles and a two-time runner-up duo that split up and played at No. 3 singles and as part of another No. 1 doubles unit for the team tournament.
As a result, the Bulldogs swept all three singles matches and won at No. 2 doubles.
“The match didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but our kids fought hard,” Reese said.
Meriwether McCargo won at No. 1 singles, besting Cami Fisher in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, while Brooke Henderson dispatched Hadley Murello in similar fashion at No. 3 singles.
At No. 2 doubles, Elena Rubinov and Elizabeth Butera swept Julia Ross and Mia Hogue, 6-0, 6-1, and Mackenzie Smock succumbed to Cassie Lapina at No. 2 singles.
Kiera Ross combined with junior Cassie Sierka for the lone victory. At No. 1 doubles, they outlasted Alex Merkel and Taylor Shanafelter, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
“They fought hard and they never gave up,” Reese said of the No. 1 doubles. “They had a game plan. They came in and they executed it.”
Of Ross, who is the lone senior in the BP’s starting lineup, Reese added, “All the kids look up to Keira. She’s a great kid; great role model. She plays hard; works hard. She’s a good example for the younger kids.”
To advance to the finals, the Lady Hawks shutout Baldwin and Greater Latrobe, 5-0, then edged North Allegheny, 3-2.
Shady Side Academy, which was the No. 1 seed, blanked Thomas Jefferson and Pine-Richland, 5-0, in the opening rounds of the tournament then beat Mt. Lebanon, 4-1, in the semifinals.
With their 1-2 showing, Shady Side Academy and Bethel Park qualified for the PIAA Class 3A team tournament as did NA, a 3-2 winner over Lebo in the WPIAL consolation match.
First-round play commences Oct. 21. Winners advance to the Hershey Racquet Club to play out the remainder of the tournament with quarterfinals on Oct. 24 followed by the semifinals and championships on Oct. 25.
“We look forward to states,” Reese said. “Hopefully, we do better than we did (in the WPIAL finals) and individually we are hoping (our qualifiers) can go far. They have the potential. We’re going to put the work in and see how it goes.”
The PIAA singles and doubles tournaments will be held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at the Hershey Racquet Club. By virtue of their third-place showings in the WPIAL, Fisher as well as the duo of Smock and Murello qualified for the state singles and doubles tournaments.
After the season concludes, the Lady Hawks look ahead with optimism to the 2026 campaign.
“We have a good group coming back,” Reese said. “The future looks bright for us.”