Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township battle for PIAA tennis berth

There will be no WPIAL team title for Mt. Lebanon or Peters Township but one of the girls’ tennis teams will earn a berth in the PIAA tournament when they battle at 3 p.m. Oct. 21 in a consolation match on the courts at Bethel Park High School.
“We’re excited to play Lebo again,” said PT head coach Brandt Bowman. “It will be another close match. The rivalry and the chance to make states will make it a very intense match.”
Lebo skipper Paul Skrok agreed. “I expect another close match,” he said. “With a trip to states on the line for the winner I expect my Lebo girls to be up to the challenge and come through.”
During the regular season, Lebo came through with a 3-2 victory and won the Section 4 title. The Indians were the division runners-up. The two teams made it through the WPIAL tournament with 5-0 shutouts of their opponents before dropping their semifinal showdowns with the top seeds.
While Peters Township succumbed to Shady Side Academy, 4-1, Lebo dropped a 4-1 decision to North Allegheny. NA and SSA will play for the WPIAL title at 3 p.m. Oct. 21 at Pine-Richland.
“North Allegheny proved why they are the two time defending state champions,” said Skrok. “It was a very competitive match throughout but they played the big points just a little better.”
For the Lebo ladies, Casey Gannon and Lauren Carey combined for a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory over the sister duo of Elena and Jenna Kolano at No. 2 doubles.
NA posted wins in all three singles matches. Anna Li defeated Kristi Riley, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. Tina Li bested Skylar Morgan, 6-2, 6-0. Ashley Huang dispatched Morgan Happe, 6-4, 6-3.
At No. 1 doubles, Eugenia Lee and Tristyn Maalouf triumphed over Katherine Izzo and Brooke Warshaw, 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m very proud of our team,” Skrok said. “Our goals are still high. We feel we can compete with any team put in front of us. We now shift our focus to the third-place match versus Peters.”
In their semifinal match, the Lady Indians posted their win at No. 3 singles as Alex Garcia defeated Devin Gramly, 6-4, 6-3.
Megan Hixon and Anna Komer lost their No. 1 and No. 2 singles matches to Ananya Dua, 6-1, 6-2, and Emma Perelman, 6-1, 6-3, respectively.
At No. 1 doubles, Lindsey Miller and Erin Gramley bested Allie D’orazio and Katie Smart, 6-3, 6-3. At No. 2 doubles, Amy Donahue and Maria Jovin combined to beat Hannah Asbell and Carla Goldsmith, 6-1, 6-4.