Mt. Lebanon netter wins section title but ousted in WPIAL tournament
Sophia Cunningham captured the Section 4-AAA singles championship. The Mt. Lebanon senior outlasted Bethel Park freshman Cami Fisher, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3), in the finals played on the BP high school tennis courts.
Cunningham needed another three-set victory, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, against BP senior Lily Sierka to reach the championship match while Fisher won her semifinal match against Lebo’s Jackie Tang in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0.
In early action, Cunningham scored pro set wins against Rose DiStefano from West Allegheny, 10-0, and Maya Hamada of Upper St. Clair, 10-1.
Fisher won her opening rounds by 10-2 scores against Presley Vennum from South Fayette and Autumn Vogel of Canon-McMillan.
In the third-place consolation match, Sierka toppled Tang, 6-7 (0), 6-3, 7-5.
All four semifinalists advanced to the WPIAL tournament held Sept. 20-21 at North Allegheny, but none advanced beyond the quarterfinals nor earned a berth in the PIAA tournament to be held Nov. 3-4 in Hershey.
However, they can compete in the upcoming WPIAL doubles tournaments. Section doubles action begins Sept. 27 and the WPIAL duo matches run from Oct. 4-5 at NA and Bethel Park.
Cunningham won the Class AAA doubles title last year, combining with Sylvie Eriksen.
Cunningham though lost her bid for a solo title when she dropped an 11-9 pro set to NA’s Lactic Tici-Wessel in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL singles tournament played Sept. 20 at Bethel Park. Cunningham had beaten Abby Santoro from Oakland Catholic, 10-2, in the first round.
Sierka and Fisher won their first round matches before being ousted in the quarterfinals as well.
After beating Baldwin’s Gabrielle Modor, 10-5, Sierka was eliminated by defending champion Amelia Williams, 10-3. Fisher beat Franklin Regional’s Michelle Yan, 10-1, but lost to Shady Side Academy’s Meriwethcer McCargo, 10-8.
McCargo, who dispatched Tang, 10-7, in the first round of the competition faced Williams in the WPIAL finals. McCargo and Williams and Tici-Wessel will be joined by Pine-Richland’s Caroline Prisk in Hershey to battle for the PIAA crown.
Other area participants in the singles tournament included: Cassidy Griffith and Kieran Moorhead from Peters Township; Evie Ellenberger from USC; Francesca Mollenauer from Canon-Mac and Divya Plauri from South Fayette.
In Section 2-AA, Chartiers Valley’s Raelle Wilshire finished fourth. Though she advanced, she did not compete in the WPIAL Class AA tournament.
Wilshire’s teammate Milla Konakchieva also participated in the section singles tournament, winning a first-round match before being ousted in the quarterfinals by eventual section runner-up Grace Kempton from South Park.Kempton lost her first-round WPIAL tournament match, 10-9, to North Catholic’s Katie Hardy.