Tigers compete at WPIAL Doubles; Kaufman/Leeman reach WPIAL Semifinals
by: Dom Gliozzi
The first day of the WPIAL’s Class 3A Girls’ Tennis Doubles Championships took place at Bethel Park High School on Wednesday, and the two Tigers teams performed well. The Tigers second team and third place finishers at Section 2 doubles, senior Remi Hayward and junior Medha Thirumala put their No. 8 seed on the line against Indiana’s ninth-seeded, Lila Dubetsky and Sophiana Sidikou. In a knockdown affair that saw numerous breaks and momentum swings, the Tigers could not convert several match points and found themselves in a tie-breaker to decide the set. After watching the Tigers pull to within 4-5, the Indians pushed through the final two tie-break points and took a narrow 11-10 (7-4) win over the Tigers.
North Allegheny’s first entry and the tournament’s #3 seed, junior Mia Kaufman and sophomore Sammy Leeman took the courts by storm in their first two matches. The Section 2 Doubles Champions beat Canon-McMillan’s #14 seed and Mt. Lebanon’s #11 seed, each by identical 10-4 scores. This set the stage for a fantastic semi-final match-up with Bethel Park’s second-seeded Mackenzie Smock and Cassie Sierka. The Bethel Park seniors took the first set in a close 6-4 fashion. Fighting right back with power serves, pinpoint returns, and superb volleys and intelligent lobs, Kaufman and Leeman pulled off a role reversal, 6-4 second-set win. The Tigers fell behind early in the third and deciding set, too far to recover, and were closed out 0-6.
The finals and third-place consolation match will take place at 1 PM at Bethel Park High School on Thursday. Bethel Park will tangle with Shady Side Academy in the championship match. The third-place contest will pit NA’s Kaufman and Leeman versus Upper St. Clair’s fifth-seeded Catalina Ramirez and Lily Angus. This contest will determine the third and final PIAA doubles qualifier from the WPIAL for the 2026 season.
