Girls Tennis: 2011 West Season Recap

Sports Town will review the 2011-12 school year during July. Today we are visiting the girls tennis season.

Racquel Holiday and Cassidy Griffin teamed to qualify for the PIAA Class AA doubles tournament at the Hershey Racquet Club, and the duo helped lead the Beaver Bobcats to qualify as a team to do the same. They were a highlight of the high school girls tennis season for West Sports Town teams.

Beaver swept to the Section 2-AA title, and Griffin and Holiday -- both juniors -- easily won the section doubles title. They defeated teammates Kendra Tetrick and Megan Zagorski, 6-2, 6-4, in the final and went on to advance to the semifinals of the WPIAL Class AA doubles tournament, ultimately earning a PIAA berth.

"It's always our goal to get to states," Bobcats coach Riley Baker said. "For teams and for doubles, that means, obviously, you had a good season."

About the only accolade in Section 2-AA that didn't go to the Bobcats was the section singles championship. Ellwood City junior Reed Kegel won that, beating Holiday, 6-1, 6-1, in the title match.

"I was happy to do that well and to (advance to the second round of the WPIAL Class AA singles tournament," Kegel said. "I felt like I was a lot stronger this season and was a lot faster on the court."

As the third-place team in the Section 2-AA doubles tournament, Lauren Mittner and Stephanie Homitz of New Brighton qualified for the WPIAL tournament.

Central Valley senior Jessica Kennell took fourth place in the singles tournament for what is a highly-competitive Section 6-AA.