Tigers reach WPIAL Semifinals; blank Peters Township
by: Dom Gliozzi
North Allegheny sustained their winning ways with their 14th straight victory in a 5-0 shutout of Peters Township in the quarterfinal round of the WPIAL 3A Team Championships at NASH Thursday afternoon. The combination of straight set victories in each scoring line propelled the Tigers to the upcoming WPIAL Semifinals. The sixth-seed and talented Indians, led by veteran coach Brandt Bowman, pushed the Tigers strongly in both doubles matches. In each case, the North Allegheny duos fought their way through the adversity to record their wins.
At second doubles, senior Remi Hayward and junior Medha Thirumala found themselves down a break consistently in the first set. Battling from a 4-5 deficit, they evened the match at 5 apiece before closing out the set with two more wins. They then went on to dominate the second set 6-0 with outstanding ground strokes and excellent service returns, all cheered on by a vociferous and appreciative home crowd. At first doubles, sophomore Ruoxi Bai and freshman Sophia Yu found similar resistance but fashioned together enough winners to take their sets at 6-3, 6-4. Great “gets” by Bai and pinpoint smashes by Yu were the key in the second set.
The Lady of the Match honors go to all three singles players who fashioned forceful wins. Freshman Winni Hayward, sophomore Sammy Leeman, and junior Mia Kaufman provided the triple wallop that set the tone and direction of the match at first, second, and third singles, respectively. Hayward was off the courts first after combining outstanding volleys and forceful cross-court winners with her ground strokes in a 6-0, 6-1 attack-mode win. Kaufman trailed Hayward’s victory by a mere ten seconds, also 6-0, 6-1, with an uncanny base-line patience that drew her opponent in, only to be fooled by pin-point passing shots. The clinching point was provided by Leeman who utilized a convincing and precise first serve and a pounding, pulsating, punishing forehand that set up her numerous winners in a 6-2, 6-0 match.
The Tigers carry a 16-1 mark into the WPIAL Semifinals on Monday, October 19, against the winner of the quarterfinal Fox Chapel-Bethel Park matchup. Play is scheduled to begin at 3 PM at a site to be determined.
Girls Tennis Summary vs. Peters Township, 10-15-26
| MATCH SUMMARY | NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5 PETERS TOWNSHIP - 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | ||
| #1 | Winni Hayward (NA) def. Neve Zuzek (PT) | 6-0, 6-1 |
| #2 | Sammy Leeman (NA) def. Elise Hassan (PT) | 6-2, 6-0 |
| #3 | Mia Kaufman (NA) def. Alice Hospodar (PT) | 6-0, 6-1 |
| Doubles | ||
| #1 | Ruoxi Bai/Sophia Yu (NA) def. Molly Barry/Sashrika Sharma (PT) | 6-3, 6-4 |
| #2 | Remi Hayward/Medha Thirumala (NA) def. Sabrina DeChicchis/Eliana Ebert (PT) | 7-5, 6-0 |
