Mt. Lebanon girls net goals in tennis
Golda Gershanok (back) watches as her doubles partner Katherine Rizzo returns a shot during Section 4 championshp action. The Mt. Lebanon duo defeated the Montour's tandem of Isabela Paixao and Isabella Sadowski, 6-7 (7-5), 6-1, 6-3, to advance to the WPIAL finals.
Golda Gershanok returns a shot during Section 4 doubles action.
Getting to states was the goal of the Mt. Lebanon girls’ tennis team and the Blue Devils succeeded somewhat in their mission.
The entire squad embarked on PIAA team tournament play on Oct. 24 squaring off against Hollidaysburg in the first round of action. The winner advanced to Hershey to compete in the quarterfinals set for Oct. 27. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for Oct. 28 at the Hershey Racquet Club.
The doubles teams, however, were less fortunate. They missed out on PIAA action. However, Lebo finished fourth among all WPIAL squads in last week’s district championships.
Golda Gershanok and Katherine Izzo as well as Lauren Masteller and Casey Gannon combined as doubles teams and advanced to the WPIAL championships after successfully negotiating their way through section competition.
Gershanok and Izzo combined for the Section 4 crown. The duo defeated Montour’s Isabela Paixao and Isabella Sudowski for the title. After dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-5), the pair swept the final two sets, 6-1, 6-3.
The pair succeeded by utilizing their strengths.
“Golda has a big serve. She’s a very strong girl and she can overpower you with her strength,” said Paul Skrok. “Katherine is a very strong net player. She has good variety and she’s a great closer.”
The pair, though, could not close the deal on Oct. 20. After advancing to the WPIAL semifinals with pro set wins against tandems from Latrobe and Shady Side Academy, Gershanok and Izzo succumbed to Melissa Vizcardo and Alyssa Sarver, 6-3, 6-3.
While the Pine-Richland duo lost their bid for the WPIAL title, falling to Fox Chapel’s Amanda Nord and Charlotte James, 6-0, 6-2, in the finals, Gershanok and Izzo lost their bid for an individual trip to Hershey when Paixao and Sudowski avenged their section loss. The Montour pair triumphed in three sets, 2-6, 6-1, 7-5, to claim third place and the final PIAA berth.
During the regular season, Gershanok and Izzo were solo strengths for the Blue Devils, holding down the No. 1 and No. 2 singles slots while Mastellar played No. 3. She’s the lone freshman in an otherwise all-senior line-up.
Mastellar combined with Casey Gannon in the doubles tournament play. The tandem finished fourth overall in the section. They succumbed to Upper St. Clair’s Anna Rush and Fallon Winseck, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, in the consolation match.
Mastellar and Gannon qualified for the WPIAL tournament, too. They were eliminated by Fox Chapel’s Molly Wiese and Kristen Friday, 10-8, while Rush and Winseck fell to Carolyn Tsung and Claire Shao of North Allegheny, 10-2.
During the regular season, Gannon combined with senior Lauren Carey at No. 1 doubles while Liza Georgiades and Katie Ward comprised Lebo’s No. 2 doubles team.
Lebo won the Section 4 title with a 9-0 record. The Blue Devils finished third overall in the WPIAL tournament, dropping a tough, 3-2, match to Pine Richland in the semifinals.
“Just had a little too much firepower to make a serious challenge,” said Skrok of the Rams’ line-up. “They controlled the singles matches from the beginning. Same went for us in the doubles as we dictated the play. We couldn’t get enough momentum to make a strong run in a singles match, which we knew we would need to do. Pine Richland played very well and were the better team.”
NA was the best team overall. The Tigers won the title with a 5-0 sweep over the Rams, but Lebo blanked Shady Side Academy, 5-0, in the consolation match to advance to the PIAA team tournament.
“That was the goal. Get to states,” Skrok said.