Breaking down changes to the 2022-23 WPIAL girls tennis alignment

By: Bill Hartlep
Monday, June 27, 2022 | 12:41 PM

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The WPIAL released new section alignments for the next two-year cycle in all sports, and changes will be implemented starting this fall.

This summer, the Tribune-Review will break down changes for each of the WPIAL sports.

Here’s a look at the upcoming WPIAL girls tennis season:

2021 WPIAL championships

Class 3A: Upper St. Clair 4, Latrobe 1

Class 2A: Sewickley Academy 4, Knoch 1

Class 3A singles: Mia Gorman, Bethel Park, d. Kat Wang, Peters Township, 6-1, 6-2

Class 2A singles: Ashley Close, Sewickley Academy, d. Ally Bauer, Knoch, 6-3, 6-3

Class 3A doubles: Jenna Bell/Carolina Walters, Latrobe, d. Elana Sobol/Rachel Nath, Shady Side Academy, 6-3, 6-3

Class 2A doubles: Emily Greb/Lindsey Greb, Knoch, d. Kirsten Close/Roshni Thakkar, Sewickley Academy, 6-3, 6-4

Notable changes

• Section alignments will look very similar this fall to how they did during the past two-year cycle.

A pair of teams dropped from Class 3A to 2A: Chartiers Valley and Hampton. The Colts will join Section 2-2A, and the Talbots will play in Section 3-2A.

• Indiana and Burrell also switched sections in Class 2A, with Indiana joining Derry, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland and Valley in Section 1. Burrell will join Ellis School, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic and Riverview in Section 3.

• Shady Side Academy and Woodland Hills will continue to play up in class in Section 3-3A.

• Teams will play each section opponent once during the regular season. The top four teams in each Class 3A section and top three teams in the Class 2A sections will qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.

• The WPIAL team championships will be held at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center at Washington & Jefferson College.

WPIAL singles and doubles will be contested at North Allegheny and Bethel Park high schools.

Dropping out

• Springdale will not field a girls tennis team this fall. Brownsville and California dropped their programs in the last two-year alignment cycle.

Key dates

Aug. 15: First practice date

Aug. 20: First scrimmage date

Aug. 22: First play date

Aug. 25: First section date

Sept. 14-15: Section singles

Sept. 21-22: WPIAL singles

Sept. 28-29: Section doubles

Oct. 3: Tennis playoff pairings

Oct. 5-6: WPIAL doubles

Oct. 21: WPIAL team championships

Oct. 28-29: PIAA team championships

Nov. 4-5: PIAA individual championships

2022-23 alignment

Class 3A (34 teams)

Section 1: Armstrong*, Connellsville*, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Hempfield, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford

Section 2: Butler, Mars, Moon, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Shaler

Section 3: Allderdice, Baldwin, Fox Chapel, Oakland Catholic, Penn Hills, Plum, Shady Side Academy, Thomas Jefferson, Woodland Hills

Section 4: Bethel Park, Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, South Fayette*, Trinity, Upper St. Clair, West Allegheny

Class 2A (37 teams)

Section 1: Derry, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Indiana, Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland, Valley

Section 2: Avella*, Chartiers Valley, McGuffey, Ringgold, South Park, Washington, West Mifflin

Section 3: Burrell, Ellis School, Hampton, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic, Riverview

Section 4: Beaver, Beaver Falls, Blackhawk*, Central Valley, Ellwood City, Neshannock, Riverside, Sewickley Academy

Section 5: Ambridge, Carlynton*, Hopewell, Keystone Oaks, Montour, Quaker Valley, Winchester Thurston

*Cooperative sponsorship

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.