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Doubles team’s WPIAL championship highlights special season for Bethel Park tennis

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Saturday, October 21, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Both are talented tennis players. One is a freshman at Bethel Park. The other’s a senior.

Together, they’ve developed into quite the dynamic duo on the tennis courts.

Bethel Park’s Cami Fisher and Lily Sierka this season became the first WPIAL doubles champions in girls tennis in school history.

“Lily and I being able to win the first WPIAL doubles title in school history was an amazing experience,” Fisher said. “Growing up and coming and watching some of the most amazing tennis players in the WPIAL tournament was such an extraordinary opportunity. and now being the ones in it and to win it is so surreal.”

Sierka, a right-handed senior, and Fisher, a lefty freshman sensation, defeated top-seeded Elana Sobol and Rachel Nath of Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL Class 3A doubles finals Oct. 5 at North Allegheny.

“Cami and I were both super shocked,” Sierka said. “My initial thought was, ‘There’s no way,’ because going into the match, we knew it would be tough.

“I’m really proud of us. It’s a pretty cool accomplishment for our school.”

The Black Hawks’ prolific pair, the No. 2 seeds, brought home the school’s first WPIAL tennis championship since Mia Gorman won back-to-back singles titles in 2020-21. Kellie Schmitt also captured a singles title in 2002.

And because Sierka is an upperclassman, she and Fisher can be thought of as “one-year wonders” as doubles partners.

The 14-year-old Fisher and 17-year-old Sierka won the doubles championship by edging Sobol and Nath, 7-6, in a tightly contested first set before registering more convincing 6-2 victory in the second set.

“Lily and my reaction was just pure joy and excitement,” Fisher said. “Even talking about it now, it still doesn’t seem real.”

In the semifinal round, Fisher, one of five freshmen in the doubles tournament, and Sierka, rolled past sixth-seeded Abby Santora and Mollie Sclichter of Oakland Catholic without losing a game. Sobol and Nath had outhit Franklin Regional’s Ellen Liu and Michelle Yan in two sets.

The Bethel Park girls began the tournament with 10-2 victories against No. 15 Gabrielle Moder and Olivia Garofalo of Baldwin and No. 10 Ria Khazanchi and Keira Wise of Moon.

Along with maintaining her budding tennis career, Fisher also competes in lacrosse in the spring. She is a member of DECA, Best Buddies, SGA and Ways and Means.

Sierka said she used to play recreational softball and wants to continue playing tennis in college. She has a grade-point average that hovers between 3.8 and 4.0.

Bethel Park’s senior tandem of Katie Peterson and Emma Smith, meanwhile, landed the fifth seed for the WPIAL 3A doubles tournament.

Peterson and Smith defeated No. 12 Sienna Siegel and Anna Kintner of Fox Chapel, 10-6, then dropped a tough 10-8 decision to Franklin Regional’s Liu and Yan, the fourth seeds.

Peterson and Sierka qualified for the state playoffs as doubles partners last year.

Fisher and Sierka also captured the Section 4 doubles title this season in an all-Bethel Park final.

Seeded second, the Bethel Park netters defeated teammates and No. 4 seeds Peterson and Smith, 6-1, 6-4, in the championship match.

Fisher and Sierka breezed to 10-0 victories in their first two matches before beating No. 3 Jackie Tang and Ellie Tatel of Mt. Lebanon, 6-2, 6-1, in the semifinal round.

Peterson and Smith won by 10-0 and 10-5 scores in the first two rounds then upset the No. 1 seed from Mt. Lebanon, senior Sophia Cunningham and junior Sylvia Erikson, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in the semifinals.

Fisher finished as the section runner-up to Cunningham in the section singles tournament. Cunningham won by a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 score in the championship match.

Sierka also competed in the section tournament and rallied past Tang, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5, in the third-place match.

Sierka is one of nine seniors on the Bethel Park squad along with Peterson, Smith, Hannah Chicas, Alexis Dorfner, Elle Duda, Vanessa Troxell, Angelina Velisaris and Ana Winowich.

Julia Gobbie is the team’s lone junior. Keira Ross is the only sophomore. Fisher, Cassie Sierka and Mackenzie Smock are top freshmen.

Thanks to this impressive group of gifted athletes, the Black Hawks, coached by Doug Addington, qualified for the WPIAL 3A team championship held at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center at Washington & Jefferson College. Results from the Oct. 18 match were not available at press time.

Bethel Park received the top seed in the tournament where it defeated No. 16 Norwin, 5-0, No. 9 Upper St. Clair, 4-1, and No. 4, Shady Side Academy, 3-2, prior to clashing with No. 2 North Allegheny in the finals.

The Black Hawks went into the championship match against NA undefeated at 13-0 and as the Section 4-4A titlists with a 7-0 record. After beating Upper St. Clair, 4-1, in section play, Bethel Park won 5-0 against West Allegheny, South Fayette, Mt. Lebanon, Canon-McMillan, Trinity and Peters Township.

“I think it’s amazing and exciting how well we’re doing this year,” said Sierka, Cassie’s older sister. “Our whole starting lineup has been playing at Glen Creek together for years. We are all super close, so we make a good team.”

The Black Hawks didn’t drop a game against Norwin in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. Fisher, Sierka and Peterson won singles matches and Smith/Smock and Cassie Sierka/Ross won at doubles.

“Our performance as a team this year has been phenomenal,” Fisher said. “We have such great chemistry as a team and work really well together. It’s so nice being a part of a team that is so supportive of each other on and off the court. I’m really proud of everything we have accomplished so far.

“I’m just so honored to have been given this opportunity and have had so much success in such a short amount of time. I’m so grateful for my teammates, Coach Doug and Coach Nancy, my amazing coaches at Glen Creek, and my supportive parents and siblings.”

Addington is assisted by Nancy Beaulieu.

Fisher and Sierka also represented Bethel Park as the No. 6 and No. 9 seeds at the WPIAL Class 3A singles tournament Sept. 20 at North Allegheny.

Both won first-round decisions. Fisher defeated Tang, 10-1, while Sierka won a 10-5 decision against Modor, a senior at Baldwin.

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