Quaker Valley girls tennis proudly takes second place after WPIAL classic final

By means of: Ray Visser


Sunday October 27, 2024 | 11:01 am

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Quaker Valley reached the WPIAL Class 2A finals in girls tennis for the second year in a row.

The second-seeded Quakers were denied their quest to repeat as a WPIAL titlist, but fell to No. 1 North Catholic, 3-2, on Oct. 17 at Washington & Jefferson.

It was only the second loss of the season for the QV netters, who fell to 14-2.

“I have to say this WPIAL team final was everything you would expect and hope for from arguably the two best teams in 2A,” QV coach Christi Hays said. “It was so convincing. It had a lot of drama, huge momentum swings, high level play and exemplary sportsmanship from both sides.

“I know it's cliché to say, but it's a shame that both teams had to lose. And I admit it took a few days to come to terms with our loss; we were so close. But my hat goes off to (North Catholic) coach Eric Solverson and his team, especially his No. 3 freshman Evelyn Marche.”

QV captured the No. 1 and No. 2 singles matches, while senior Kirsten Close (16-1) and freshman Avery Allan (19-0) continued their best seasons with decisive victories.

Close rolled past NC sophomore Brea Kelley 6-1, 6-1, and Allan defeated Trojan freshman Delaney Kelley 6-1, 6-4.

“I think our team played great,” Close said, “and Christi helped us reach our maximum potential. I'm happy to finish the season with States. North Catholic has a lot of heart, and I wish them success at states.”

Close and Allan are the reigning WPIAL Class 2A doubles champions; they will compete in the PIAA team and doubles tournaments.

“I'm so proud of our team for finishing second in the WPIAL,” Allan said. “I know everyone has worked so hard preparing and we should be so proud of ourselves and excited about states. North Catholic is the toughest opponent we have faced. It's a very deep team.”

Hays, a 2024 QV Sports Hall of Fame inductee, discussed the Quakers' new “rivalry” with North Catholic.

“When we played against North Catholic earlier this season, we lost 3-2. North Catholic won both doubles matches and we won the top two singles matches,” Hays said. “The game came down to a third single between Jay Olawaiye and Evelyn Marche. North Catholic won the first set, but the second set went to a tiebreaker. Jay led 5-2, but Evelyn won the next five points to take the tiebreak, the set and the match.

“The team and I left that match feeling like we had a legitimate chance to overturn the result in a rematch if we got the chance. Fast forward to the (WPIAL) finals. As we thought, Kirsten and Avery won the first two points for us. Our doubles teams played well – especially in the second sets – but lost. That set up the deciding third singles match, just as we expected.

At the WPIAL final, Olawaiye (11-2), a senior, jumped out to an early lead against Marche before ultimately dropping a 5-7, 7-5, 6-0 decision.

“What a rollercoaster ride. Momentum is a very fickle thing,” Hays said. “After being down 1-5 in the first set, Jay roared back to win the set 7-5. She built a lead of 5-4 and 40-15 (in the second game). Evelyn was tenacious and clawed back to win that game and level the set at 5-5. That's when the game took a turn that none of us saw coming.

“Although each point was long – many were over 30 strokes – and every game was close, North Catholic reeled off nine straight games to take the third set – and the championship. Even though I was disappointed, I have to say that my strongest emotion was that I couldn't have been more proud of Jay for the way she played, how she handled the pressure and how she handled the tough loss. And I'm also proud of the way the entire team rallied around Jay to support her.”

Close believes Olawaiye has been a fantastic addition to the QV girls tennis program.

“Jay is a great track athlete,” Close said, “but every year she still shows up for the tennis team and plays even though it's not her main sport. She was a great tennis captain and third singles player. Without Jay, we wouldn't have won districts or made it to the WPIAL finals and states.

North Catholic seniors Kate Hardy and Jessica Sinclair defeated QV juniors Livia Jobbins and Jane Lenhard 6-1, 7-5 in the first doubles match at the WPIAL team event. Sophomore Samantha Falcon and freshman Marcaria Stall defeated QV's Parker Barnes, a junior, and Hannah Stein, a sophomore, 6-1, 6-4.

QV breezed through the first three rounds of the tournament, defeating No. 15 South Park and No. 10 Indiana 5-0 and No. 3 Hampton 4-1 in the semifinals.

“I was happy and proud of our team's performance throughout the team tournament,” Hays said. “We had decisive wins over South Park and Indiana and were looking forward to our semi-final rematch with Hampton. We knew it would be good preparation for what we hoped would be a rematch with North Catholic.

The top three finishers in each classification advanced to the PIAA team championships.

“As a team, we are now looking ahead and looking forward to seeing how deep we can go in the PIAA Championships,” Hays said.

Keywords: Quaker Valley