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Tennis season ends at states for local ladies

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By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Maggie Stief returns a forehand during tennis competition this fall. The senior was a two-time WPIAL medalist and two-time PIAA qualifier as the No. 1 singles player for Upper St. Clair.

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By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Sophia Cunningham and Sylvie Eriksen celebrated being WPIAL doubles champions before competing in the PIAA tournament.

The PIAA Championships held Nov. 4-5 at the Hershey Racquet Club signified the end of the 2022 scholastic girls tennis season.

The state tournament always marked the end of the competitive career for Maggie Stief.

The Upper St. Clair senior has decided not to play the game in college. Instead, she will focus on academics and exploring her work career options. Currently, she is in the process of making her choice as to where she will attend school next fall.

Stief said farewell to the game in the opening round of the Class AAA singles competition. The senior lost to Kayla Kurtz from Manheim Township, 6-2, 6-0.

During her four-year scholastic career, Stief played No. 1 singles for the Lady Panthers. She was a WPIAL bronze medalist in 2021 and the district’s runner-up in 2022. She was a two-time PIAA qualifier.

“Just to watch her from being a freshman No. 1 all the way to senior,” explained USC coach Renee Villani. “There is a lot of pressure for an athlete to stay No. 1 on a team. She has shown a lot of good maturity through the years and she has played phenomenal tennis.

Since joining forces, Sophia Cunningham and Sylvie Eriksen of Mt. Lebanon have played tremendous doubles. They won the WPIAL title and earned a berth in the PIAA tournament.

After beating Valeria Sanchez and Hallie Guerrero of Reading in the first round, 6-0, 6-1, Cunningham and Eriksen dropped a 6-2, 6-3 match to Kate and Isabel Emmanuel from Conestoga in the quarterfinals.

Individually, Cunningham and Eriksen helped the Blue Devils to a section and WPIAL title before entering the PIAA team competition.

Lebo opened team tournament action with a 5-0 win against State College in a match played at North Allegheny High School in Wexford. After edging Council Rock South, 3-2, in the quarterfinals, the Blue Devils lost to eventual state champion Conestoga, 3-1, in a semifinal match played at the Hershey Racquet Club.

Bethel Park, by virtue of its third-place showing in District VII, also competed in the PIAA team tournament. The Hawks’ participation was short-lived as they dropped their opening match to New Oxford, 3-1.

Lily Sierka and Katie Peterson also participated in the PIAA doubles tournament. The BP tandem had garnered a bronze medal in the district to earn its state-playoff berth.

Sierka and Peterson, like their teammates, did not last long in the doubles event, dropping their first-round match, 6-3, 6-0, to Hana Nouaime and Alice Liang. The Methacton pair went on to win the PIAA title.

In Class AA action, Kaitlyn Kuczinski and Delaney Fox of Chartiers Valley lost their opening doubles match to Emma Perkin and Victoria Waltz, 6-2, 6-0. The Conrad Weiser tandem went on to win the silver medal as the PIAA runners-up.

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