Shady Side Academy, Belle Vernon tennis stars 3-peat in WPIAL finals
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Thursday, September 18, 2025 | 9:37 PM
Shady Side Academy’s Meriwether McCargo plays in the WPIAL Class 3A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Belle Vernon’s Gabrielle Dusi plays in the WPIAL Class 2A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Penn-Trafford’s Mia Williams plays in the WPIAL Class 3A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Shady Side Academy’s Meriwether McCargo plays in the WPIAL Class 3A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Belle Vernon’s Gabrielle Dusi plays in the WPIAL Class 2A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Shady Side Acdamey’s Meriwether McCargo plays in the WPIAL Class 3A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Quaker Valley’s Avery Allan plays in the WPIAL Class 2A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Penn-Trafford’s Mia Williams plays in the WPIAL Class 3A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Belle Vernon’s Gabrielle Dusi plays in the WPIAL Class 2A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Penn-Trafford’s Mia Williams plays in the WPIAL Class 3A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Quaker Valley’s Avery Allan plays in the WPIAL Class 2A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
Penn-Trafford’s Mia Williams plays in the WPIAL Class 3A girls singles championship match Thursday at North Allegheny.
It was not easy, a struggle at times, but Shady Side Academy junior Meriwether McCargo and Belle Vernon senior Gabrielli Dusi became three-time WPIAL girls tennis champions Thursday at North Allegheny.
They become the 10th and 11th three-time WPIAL champions. McCargo put herself in position to be the second four-time champion, joining Knoch’s Laura Greb (2017-2020).
McCargo defeated Penn-Trafford senior Mia Williams for the third consecutive season, this time by a score of 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Williams was the 2022 champion.
Dusi gutted out a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win against Quaker Valley sophomore Avery Allan. Dusi battled an abdominal injury that forced her to bow out of the section singles finals.
The Duquesne commit said she is hoping to compete in the PIAA Class 2A tournament in early November in Hershey. She was the runner-up in 2024, and she said she has six weeks to prepare.
McCargo and Williams battled. McCargo said she countered Williams’ power by lobbing her returns high and to Williams’ backhand.
“I let her make the mistakes, and I capitalized,” McCargo said. “We have had great battles all three seasons. It is amazing to be a three-time champion.”
McCargo took the first set 6-4, but she struggled in the second set and fell 6-2.
“I took my foot off the gas,” McCargo said. “I was able to recover in the third set.”
McCargo grabbed a 3-0 lead before Williams cut the score to 3-2. McCargo won the next two for a 5-2 lead, but Williams did not back down.
She won the next two games to trim the lead to 5-4 and was serving to tie the set. But Williams had back-to-back service miscues and could not recover.
“I had to forget about those two mistakes,” Williams said. “It was another good final. Now I can focus on the state tournament.
“I must go out and play my game. This tournament provided me some great competition.”
Neither player has had success in the state tournament. McCargo lost in the first round last year. She hopes to reach the semifinals or finals this season.
Williams reached the quarterfinals as a freshman.
Dusi said the injury was painful, but she was not going to quit.
“It was super hard,” Dusi said. “I ran around a lot, trying to stay away from my backhand. In the third set, I went to my underhand serve.
“I have not been to my doctors yet, so I am not exactly sure what the injury is.”
Dusi said she is grateful to be a three-time champion.
“Having a tough match made it even better,” Dusi said.
In the third-place match, Bethel Park senior Cami Fisher defeated Upper St. Clair freshman Brianna Kuczinski, 6-1, 6-1, to earn a trip to states.
In the third-place match in Class 2A, Oakland Catholic junior Mollie Sclichter defeated Winchester Thurston freshman Veronica Zinski, 6-2, 6-2.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Belle Vernon, Penn-Trafford, Quaker Valley, Shady Side Academy
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