What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Sept. 15, 2021: Tennis postseason gets underway

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | 9:23 PM

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Two days before conference play begins for many teams in WPIAL football, the first postseason event began in district girls tennis.

Singles sectionals opened Wednesday, though rain forced the postponement of the start of most section tournaments to Thursday.

In Class 2A, Nicole Kempton of South Park rolled to a Section 2 title, teammates Chloe DeSanzo and Fiona Rubino of Beaver reached the finals in Section 4, and a few matches were played in Section 5. In Class 3A, the semifinals are set in Section 2.

The top four players from each section will qualify for the upcoming WPIAL singles tennis championships.

Each school is permitted to enter two tennis players into the sectionals.

There are four sections in Class 3A and five sections in Class 2A.

The 2021 WPIAL girls tennis singles championships will take place over two days on Sept. 23-24.

3A collision on the pitch

The top two teams from Section 1-3A a year ago in girls soccer meet for the first time in a key early season match Thursday when Franklin Regional hosts Hampton.

Last season, the Talbots finished a half-game in front of the Panthers in the section standings. Both teams reached the district quarterfinals, where their season came to an end in shutout losses.

This year, Franklin Regional is ranked No. 4 in the latest HSSN girls soccer 3A rankings. The Panthers are 2-0 in the section, 3-1 overall.

Hampton trails FR by a half-game and is one game behind section front runner Gateway. The Talbots are 2-2 overall but have won their last two matches.

Courtside seats

Thursday is another busy night of WPIAL girls volleyball. Five matches stand out as early season battles of section unbeatens.

In Section 3-4A, Hempfield visits Oakland Catholic. The host Eagles are off to a 3-0 start in section play while the Spartans are trying to take over the top spot with a 2-0 record.

There are a pair of Class 3A battles for first place. In Section 1, 3-0 Franklin Regional hosts 2-0 Kiski Area while in Section 5, 3-0 Freeport visits 2-0 Hampton. In that section, Armstrong is also off to a 2-0 start.

In Section 4-2A, 3-0 Serra Catholic visits 2-0 Chartiers-Houston. South Park is also 2-0 and tied with the Buccaneers.

Finally in Section 2-A, Mapletown, Fort Cherry and California are all 2-0 in section action. On Thursday, the Maples visit the Rangers.