Upper St. Clair boys tennis team back in semifinals
The Upper St. Clair boys tennis team uncharacteristically lost in the first round of last season's WPIAL Class AAA team tournament, and the Panthers were ousted in the quarterfinals the year before that.
They're back where they belong this season.
Upper St. Clair advanced to the WPIAL semifinals for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons with a 3-2 victory against Fox Chapel in a quarterfinal Wednesday afternoon.
The Panthers got victories at third singles and at both doubles spots. Mike Russell beat Josh Lehman, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, in the clinching third singles match long after Mike Sietawski and Chris Meyer defeated Ian Cullen and Karthik Narayanan, 6-0, 6-1, at first doubles and Sam Scheiffman and Rob Moore beat Taha El-Magbri and Patrick Campbell, 6-1, 6-2, at second doubles.
Upper St. Clair will play No. 1 seed Shady Side Academy 3 p.m. today at Keystone Oaks in the semifinals. The other Class AAA semifinal matches defending champion Mt. Lebanon against North Allegheny 3 p.m. at Sewickley Academy. The finals are Friday at North Allegheny.
In Class AA, the top two teams from Section 5-AA, Bishop Canevin and Thomas Jefferson, lost Wednesday. Playing indoors at the Western Area YMCA, the section champion Crusaders lost, 5-0, to Winchester Thurston.
"(The) super fast courts there really hurt us against their big hitters and big servers," Bishop Canevin coach Ed Burgess said. "We would have had a chance at (Settler's Cabin Park) -- our nice, slow home courts -- but we had no chance inside."
Surface also likely was a factor in Thomas Jefferson's 3-2 loss to St. Joseph on Burrell's clay courts.
They're back where they belong this season.
Upper St. Clair advanced to the WPIAL semifinals for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons with a 3-2 victory against Fox Chapel in a quarterfinal Wednesday afternoon.
The Panthers got victories at third singles and at both doubles spots. Mike Russell beat Josh Lehman, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, in the clinching third singles match long after Mike Sietawski and Chris Meyer defeated Ian Cullen and Karthik Narayanan, 6-0, 6-1, at first doubles and Sam Scheiffman and Rob Moore beat Taha El-Magbri and Patrick Campbell, 6-1, 6-2, at second doubles.
Upper St. Clair will play No. 1 seed Shady Side Academy 3 p.m. today at Keystone Oaks in the semifinals. The other Class AAA semifinal matches defending champion Mt. Lebanon against North Allegheny 3 p.m. at Sewickley Academy. The finals are Friday at North Allegheny.
In Class AA, the top two teams from Section 5-AA, Bishop Canevin and Thomas Jefferson, lost Wednesday. Playing indoors at the Western Area YMCA, the section champion Crusaders lost, 5-0, to Winchester Thurston.
"(The) super fast courts there really hurt us against their big hitters and big servers," Bishop Canevin coach Ed Burgess said. "We would have had a chance at (Settler's Cabin Park) -- our nice, slow home courts -- but we had no chance inside."
Surface also likely was a factor in Thomas Jefferson's 3-2 loss to St. Joseph on Burrell's clay courts.
tennis