Tigers celebrate senior day with a sweep of Franklin Regional
by: Dom Gliozzi
The Section 2 champion North Allegheny Tigers continued their winning ways with their 12th straight victory in a 5-0 shutout of Franklin Regional on Monday afternoon’s Senior Day at the NASH courts. Leading the way against the Panthers in the exhibition match, the singles contingent once again posted three straight-set victories at one, two, and three respectively. Freshman Winni Hayward, junior Mia Kaufman, and sophomore Ruoxi Bai provided consecutive 6-0, 6-0 wins. First doubles saw senior Remi Hayward and junior Alexa Richey pair off against Franklin Regional’s top doubles team and walk away with a 6-2, 6-1 decision. The second doubles tandem of junior Mehar Jain and freshman Claire Huang reunited at the Varsity level and continued their dominant play with 6-0, 6-0 triumphs.
Following the match, all attention focused on splendid senior, Remi Hayward, who contributed mightily not only to Monday’s match but also to an incredibly successful season thus far for the Tigers. Truly the definition of a scholar-athlete, Hayward is a three-year starter on the Varsity squad. Forging a 2026 regular season second doubles record of 12-0, primarily with Medha Thirumala as her partner, Hayward has been a consistently dependable player and a team leader throughout her career. Her favorite tennis memory is the 2025 state qualifying match against Mt. Lebanon in which she and partner Ella Mangene consistently hit key winners in the 3-2 Tigers victory.
Outside the classroom, Hayward is the Features Editor for the school paper Uproar and also a member of the Philosophy Club and student literary magazine, Variations. In addition to her NASH activities, Hayward is an accomplished musician. A guitar player, she participates in Wexford’s School of Rock-Wexford while also displaying her vocal talents in gigs at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille. Her top college possibilities are Elon University and Ohio University where she plans to major in Journalism. Congratulations, Remi Hayward, on a superb athletic and scholastic career at North Allegheny!
The Tigers improve to 14-1 overall on the season and continue team play this Friday at home in a critical cross-section match against Bethel Park that will determine the second seed in the WPIAL Team Championships. In the meantime, the WPIAL 3A Doubles Tournament will take place Wednesday and Thursday on Bethel Park’s courts. Representing the Tigers, Section 2 champs junior Mia Kaufman and sophomore Sammy Leeman form the first team (#3 seed), while the second team (#8 seed) will be the combo of senior Remi Hayward and junior Medha Thirumala. Good luck to the Tigers!
Girls Tennis Summary vs. Franklin Regional, 10-5-26
| MATCH SUMMARY | NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5 FRANKLIN REGIONAL - 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | ||
| #1 | Winni Hayward (NA) def. Sofia Palombo (FR) | 6-0, 6-0 |
| #2 | Mia Kaufman (NA) def. Tanisha Narayani (FR) | 6-0, 6-0 |
| #3 | Ruoxi Bai (NA) def. Natasha Evancho (FR) | 6-0, 6-0 |
| Doubles | ||
| #1 | Remi Hayward/Alexa Richey (NA) def. Zeynap Isik/Avani Kulkarnie (FR) | 6-2, 6-1 |
| #2 | Remi Claire Huang/Mehair Jain (NA) def. Sarah Malik/Symal (FR) | 6-0, 6-0 |
