Valley’s Odrey hopes experience pays off at PIAA singles tournament

By: William Whalen
Thursday, May 23, 2019 | 2:57 PM

After two years, the list might be getting longer but the candy orders have been placed.

Mom, Lori, is a big fan of Almond Joy. Dad, Michael, and older sister, Rachel, have a sweet tooth for the classics and prefer the traditional Hershey bar. And for Valley tennis standout Michael Odrey, he’s craving gold.

“It’s a trip every year,” said Odrey, also a fan of the Hershey bar. “We got it going. I was looking at Snapchat the other day and looking at the memories, and I see Chocolate World and stuff and thinking to myself what a great time it is.”

Odrey is set to compete at the PIAA Class AA singles championships Friday morning at Hershey Racquet Club. The quarterfinals take place at 3:30, and if Odrey makes it through to Saturday’s semifinals, the list of candy almost will certainly grow into a list of souvenirs.

“I’ve got to go into this weekend and play my heart out,” Odrey said. “I’ve learned everything from my father. I trained with a bunch of guys. I have to play the game as hard as I can and get the outcome that I want. I have nothing to lose.”

It’s all good times for Odrey. For the second year in a row, the junior qualified for the Memorial Day weekend trip to Hershey Racquet Club to compete in the PIAA tournament. With each mile of his journey, he is making school history along the way.

“There are about 266 rostered kids in (Class) AA, and he finished No. 3,” said Valley coach Racheal Link, who also prefers the original Hershey bar. “As a junior, he has two WPIAL medals that he has earned, and you can’t do that on accident.”

Last season, Odrey and senior Alex Ward caught the WPIAL off guard to finish third in Class AA doubles to become the second Valley duo in the school’s prolific history to reach the state tournament. Odrey and Ward didn’t make it out of preliminary round last year, but the wealth of experience was immeasurable.

“The experience from last year was unbelievable,” Odrey said. “I was at practice (last year) and saw (Fox Chapel’s) Robby Shymansky hitting with (Jared) Nord I was like, ‘Wow.’ I said that this is where it’s at, and I have to train as a hard as I can next year to make singles.”

Odrey has a 12-2 record on the season, with his losses coming to the WPIAL gold- and silver-medal winners: Indiana’s Zachary Palko and Thomas Jefferson’s Yash Maheshwari. Odrey’s bronze medal finish this year is also another first in Valley tennis history.

“Michael is really interesting,” Link said. “His versatility on the court has really been a springboard to his success. Because he’s a soccer player, his feet are like lightning. He covers the court incredibly well. He’s comfortable at the net and has a big first serve. He’s successful because he can literally play everywhere on the court.”

Odrey charged through the WPIAL Class AA singles bracket before getting beat by Maheshwari, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals. Odrey regrouped and returned on the second day to pick up a 6-4, 6-2 win over Quaker Valley’s Andrew Hubsch in the third-place match to punch his ticket to Hershey.

“I came back after losing to Yash (Maheshwari), and I was OK with it,” Odrey said. “I showed up (the next day) and played one of my greatest matches.”

Odrey will open the PIAA tournament against District 11 champ Tej Laliwala of Saucon Valley.

“The experience alone of competing at states at both doubles and singles just enhances his maturity on the court,” Link said. “That’s a priceless endeavor. His success has put the Valley tennis program on the map in the WPIAL, as well as the state.”

Fox Chapel’s Shymansky also is competing in Hershey. The WPIAL champion will take on Hershey’s Andreas Wingert in the first round of the Class AAA tournament.

His Foxes’ teammates Jay Kashyap and Brandon Wei are playing in the Class AAA doubles tournament. They open against Max Safanov and Garrett Spillerman of District 1’s Radnor.

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

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