Valley tennis team ready to defend Section 3 championship

By: Bill Hartlep
Monday, April 4, 2022 | 12:14 PM

Snow squalls and temperatures in the teens didn’t really signify the start of spring over the weekend, but the spring high school sports season is actually in full swing.

Valley’s boys tennis team certainly has come out swinging the racquets to start the chilly campaign.

The Vikings opened with a 2-0 record in Section 3-2A with 5-0 wins over Greensburg Salem and Highlands.

It was a welcomed sign for coach Rachael Link, whose team has some players in new roles and others breaking into the varsity lineup for the first time.

“We are a young team. I have five guys playing in brand new positions, and, honestly, I am beyond proud of how quickly that have adjusted to their new roles,” Link said. “I attribute the opening success of our season to the commitment and passion with which the boys train six days a week. They are fierce executing drills and ball placement strategies. It has been stunning to witness as their coach.”

Valley won the Section 3-2A title last season and earned the No. 3 seed for the playoffs. North Catholic, Highlands, Knoch and Indiana also qualified for the postseason.

The Vikings reached the WPIAL semifinals after defeating Greensburg Central Catholic and Thomas Jefferson. They then lost to South Park in the semifinals and North Catholic in the third-place match to fall just short of qualifying for the PIAA tournament.

Junior Nicholas Bussard was a WPIAL qualifier and reached the quarterfinals of the singles tournament. After losing his freshman season to the pandemic, Link said he learned a lot by trail and error last season playing at No. 1 singles, and “navigated his way through intense competition beautifully.”

“Where Nicholas has evolved the most is that he has an arsenal of strokes to utilize when he competes, and his intelligence has grown immensely,” she said. “He understands the importance of varying the speed and placement of his strokes.

“I attribute his success to his willingness to train outside of practice and the fact that he has Dylan (Gentile), Dario (Wolfe) and Nate (Clarke) to practice with. The greatest competition they face is during our practices against each other. Nick is fit and hungry, constantly evaluating and perfecting all aspects of his game.”

Graduate Thomas Albert also was a WPIAL singles qualifier last season. Bussard and classmate Dylan Gentile teamed up to reach the WPIAL doubles tournament. Senior Dario Wolfe and Albert also qualified for WPIAL doubles last season after finishing second in the section doubles draw. Bussard and Gentile were third.

Bussard and Gentile spent last season playing singles and return to the top of the lineup. Wolfe, who played first doubles last season, is at No. 3 singles.

“He joined the tennis team from our baseball team last year literally on the official first day of practice,” Link said of Wolfe. “His evolution as a player is unbelievable; he’s currently being recruited for collegiate tennis.”

Senior Clarke and junior newcomer Ethan Harcelrode have teamed at first doubles, and junior Zachary Doran and freshman Landon Harcelrode make up the second doubles pairing.

“With four guys in new positions, I rely heavily on Nate Clarke and Dario Wolfe, who are our captains, along with Dylan and Nick,” Link said. “They set the tone of our practices. The unity and camaraderie between them has elevated and inspired the entire team to train with passion.

“Truly, what brings me the most joy, is that the boys genuinely love playing tennis together. They rally each other outside of practice time to hit and supplement their game.”

On March 21, Valley earned a 5-0 win over Highlands as Bussard, Gentile and Wolfe earned straight-sets victories in singles. In doubles, Ethan Harcelrode and Clarke teamed up for a 6-1, 6-2 win, and Doran and Landon Harcelrode rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 victory at second doubles.

“I attribute the opening success of my team due to the pure love my boys have for the sport, and honestly, wins aside, nothing else matters to me,” Link said.

“I want my players to learn the intricacies of this life-long sport and continue to play throughout their entire life journey.”

Valley will against compete in Section 3-2A with Burrell, Highlands, Indiana, Knoch, North Catholic, St. Joseph and Springdale. Quaker Valley is the defending WPIAL champion.

“North Catholic is going to be the team to be in my section as well as the entire Class 2A WPIAL,” Link said. “Nick Scheller, the nationally ranked state runner-up, is back at No. 1. They return all starters but one. We beat North Catholic to win the section championship. They beat us in the semifinals; they are legit.”

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.

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