Grace under pressure: Hampton senior becomes 1st Talbot in 30 years to earn PIAA singles berth

By: John Grupp
Saturday, September 28, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Hampton senior Grace Stitt was hurting after losing the first set of the WPIAL Class 2A singles semifinals Sept. 18 at Bethel Park.

“I was feeling pretty defeated,” she said. “I felt awful.”

A little while later, she was crying.

But they were tears of joy.

No. 2 seeded Stitt rallied for a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over third-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic senior Sasha Hoffman to reach the WPIAL finals and clinch an invitation to the PIAA championships.

“When I saw her ball bounce out (to end the match), it was such an awesome feeling,” said Stitt, who last season lost in the WPIAL third-place match with a PIAA bid on the line. “I started crying. … It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

With the victory, Stitt joined Karen Ridley (1994) as the only Hampton girls to reach the PIAA singles championships since the tournament began in 1973. The top three WPIAL Class 2A finishers advance to states.

A 6-1, 6-0 loss to defending champion and top-seeded Belle Vernon junior Gabriella Dusi the following day in the WPIAL finals didn’t take any luster off Stitt’s effort.

“In all my years of coaching, there have been maybe one or two other matches — guys or girls — where I saw a more gutsy performance at a more important time,” Hampton’s 17th-year coach Grant McKinney said of Stitt’s semifinal win.

Stitt, who advances to the PIAA Class 2A singles championship Nov. 1-2 at Hershey Racquet Club, faced match point in the second set, trailing Hoffman 30-40, but forced a tiebreaker. Stitt fell behind 4-0 in the tiebreaker, before winning seven of the next eight points to claim the second set. Buoyed by newfound confidence, she cruised in the third set.

“Going into the second set … I really thought about being confident and not being tentative,” Stitt said. “That really helped me to relax and play tennis the way I know how to play.”

The WPIAL runner-up finish continued a memorable senior season for Stitt. The 5-foot-4 four-year starter defended her Section 3-2A singles title one week earlier with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over North Catholic’s No. 2-seeded sophomore Brea Kelley. Stitt last season became Hampton’s first section singles champ since 2005.

Hampton senior Abigail Anderson, the No. 6 seed, advanced to the section quarterfinals before losing to North Catholic freshman Delaney Kelley, 10-2.

Next up for the Talbots is trying to reach the PIAA team playoffs for the second consecutive year after qualifying last season for the first time in program history.

Despite playing all of its matches away from home this season while their courts underwent renovations, the Talbots have clinched a berth in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs, which start Oct. 7. Hampton held practices at North Park. The renovations were nearly completed in late September and could be ready for any home WPIAL playoff matches.

Stitt said the disruptions weren’t as bad as she anticipated.

“In the beginning of the season, it was really disappointing knowing we wouldn’t have any home matches,” she said. “But I feel like the team and I have gotten used to it, and it hasn’t really affected us a whole lot.”

The top three WPIAL finishers qualify for the PIAA team playoffs, and Hampton (4-1, 10-5 as of Sept. 23) looks to contend for one of the spots.

“I definitely think the only two schools that we would really struggle against are North Catholic and Quaker Valley, which gives us an open spot,” Stitt said. “I can definitely see it happening.”

Tags: Hampton