Tigers Win Eight in a Row, Shutout Talbots
By Dom Gliozzi
North Allegheny girls’ tennis ventured into bordering Hampton Township to tangle with the 2A Talbots in an exhibition contest at Hampton Community Park Friday afternoon. The Tigers walked through the park posting a 5-0 victory over their skilled neighbors, winning each match-up in straight sets.
Newly crowned Section 2 singles champion, freshman Winni Hayward, secured the initial team point at first singles for the 8th time in the season. Quickly following, sophomore Ruoxi Bai dazzled brilliantly at second singles in a 6-0, 6-0 win where she lost only four points in the entire match. It was Bai’s first foray into singles competition this season. For the 5th time in the 2026 campaign, sophomore Sammy Leeman clinched the match with a superb service game at second singles, also recording a 6-0, 6-0 score. Following second doubles 4th team point, first doubles closed out the scoring. Teaming up for the first time this year, freshman Sophia Yu and junior Alexa Richey worked together efficiently to capture another straight set win.
Second doubles provided the Lady of the Match honors. Freshman Claire Huang made her varsity debut in a points match at second doubles, where she paired with junior Medha Thirumala. Under Thirumala’s outstanding mentoring, Huang’s poised play combined excellent serving (only 1 double fault) with a high percentage of service returns. Adding Huang’s great volleys to the mix, she and Thirumala took their contest with a 6-2, 6-1 score.
The Tigers improve to 10-1 overall on the season (5-0 in section play) and return to Section 2 play Monday afternoon when they travel to Harmony, PA to play Seneca Valley. Play is scheduled for 3:30 PM at Seneca Valley High School.
GIRLS TENNIS SUMMARY VS. HAMPTON, 9-18-26
| MATCH SUMMARY | NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5 HAMPTON - 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| SINGLES | ||
| #1 | Winni Hayward (NA) def. Lola Pikato (H) | 6-0, 6-0 |
| #2 | Sammy Leeman (NA) def. Vivian Settler (H) | 6-0, 6-0 |
| #3 | Ruoxi Bai (NA) def. Juliana Turner (H) | 6-0, 6-0 |
| DOUBLES | ||
| #1 | Sophia Yu/Alexa Richey (NA) def. Kenzie Joyce/Daniela Khoury (H) | 6-2, 6-0 |
| #2 | Medha Thirumala/Claire Huang (NA) def. Dillon Perry/Jocelyn Robertson (H) | 6-0, 6-0 |
