Shady Side Academy doubles team finds instant chemistry

By: Jerin Steele
Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Brooke Henderson and Alex Merkel met for the first time in the summer when they both joined the Shady Side Academy girls tennis team.

Judging by their results, one would assume they’ve been playing together for a long time.

Henderson and Merkel, who are both freshmen, were the runners up at the WPIAL Class 3A doubles tournament and will compete at the state tournament Nov. 1-2 in Hershey.

“We became friends right away,” Merkel said. “We were the new players on the team, so we stuck together. When we found out we were paired for doubles, we were both excited. It’s worked out really well.”

The freshman duo has helped Shady Side Academy have success in the team playoffs as well. The Bulldogs won the WPIAL Class 3A consolation match to qualify for states and won their first state match against Hollidaysburg.

They were set to face Lower Merion in the quarterfinals Oct. 25 in Hershey.

Henderson and Merkel play second and third singles in team matches behind two-time WPIAL champion Meriwether McCargo.

While each has experienced individual success, they’ve excelled together in doubles.

Henderson and Merkel qualified for WPIALs by winning the Section 3-3A tournament.

They were seeded second in the WPIAL tournament and made it all the way to the final before falling to top-seeded Jackie Tang and Michelle Yang of Mt. Lebanon.

Henderson said building chemistry quickly helped them achieve success in a short amount of time.

“We complement each other very well,” Henderson said. “Alex is very good at the net. We play well together, and we communicate. We’re just a really good team and even though we’re new friends, we just play. I’m glad we found each other, because we played well together.”

Merkel started playing tennis at 9 years old with the encouragement of her older brother Chase, who helped Quaker Valley boys tennis reach the WPIAL Class 2A final and state semifinals last spring.

“It’s the only sport I’ve played,” Merkel said. “My brother had a good career at Quaker Valley and he kind of forced me to get into it, but I liked it right away. It just clicked.”

Henderson started playing recreationally with her grandfather, but quickly found a love for the sport. She was a competitive dancer for 10 years but quit to become a full-time tennis player.

“I was the runner-up for Junior Miss Dance of Pennsylvania, so when I quit dancing to become a tennis player, people thought I was crazy, but I’ve obviously achieved something in tennis” Henderson said.

For the next two weekends, Henderson and Merkel will be in Hershey.

After what they hope is a successful weekend with the team, the plan is to make some waves at the state doubles tournament.

“We’ve been practicing together during team practices and we’ve played some practice matches with other people,” Henderson said. “We just really want to be prepared to make is far as we can in the tournament.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Shady Side Academy