WPIAL girls tennis preview: Knoch, Latrobe loaded to defend titles

By: Michael Love
Saturday, August 21, 2021 | 6:53 PM

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Knoch girls tennis players pulled off a rare WPIAL trifecta last year.

Laura Greb captured her fourth WPIAL singles title, sisters Brooke and Ally Bauer brought home doubles gold and the Knights snapped Sewickley Academy’s three-year reign for their first team title after three straight runner-up finishes to the Panthers.

Knoch, as the lone WPIAL representative because of the PIAA covid regulations, then rolled through the PIAA tournament to win the program’s first state team championship.

Despite losing its No. 1 and No. 2 players to graduation in Greb and Brooke Bauer, Knoch returns junior Ally Bauer and four other starters who hope to make Knoch the fourth school in Class AA history to win at least two consecutive WPIAL team titles (Sewickley Academy, Beaver, Quaker Valley).

“We’re definitely coming back really strong,” said Ally Bauer, who will form the core of the lineup with sophomore twins Emily and Lindsey Greb and fellow sophomores Ava Santora and Jade Nether.

“We lost two good ones, but with the experience we have back and who we have competing for those open spots, we are excited to see what we can do. We have a good lineup to get us just as far as last year.”

Emily Greb, in her WPIAL singles debut, placed third overall.

“I think we will be very competitive this year,” veteran Knoch coach Nancy Conlon said.

“There is a level of confidence in our five returning players from all they experienced last year. We’re still young, but that experience in high-level matches will help carry us through. But we know teams like Sewickley Academy and South Park and Beaver and others want to knock us off.”

Section and nonsection matches in Class AAA and Class AA are slated to begin Monday.

The top four teams in each Class AAA section and top three in Class AA qualify for the WPIAL team tournament.

In Class AA, Mt. Pleasant (Section 1), South Park (Section 2), Knoch (Section 3), Beaver (Section 4) and Sewickley Academy (Section 5) hope to defend section crowns.

Section singles in both classifications kick off tournament play Sept. 15.

Sewickley Academy hopes to be in the mix again in Class AA as it attempts to reload after losing five of its seven starters to graduation.

Leading the way is sophomore Ashley Close, who played No. 2 singles last year.

Under normal circumstances, Sewickley Academy and the winner of a consolation match between South Park and Beaver also would have qualified for states.

The same held true for the WPIAL singles and doubles tournaments.

The regular terms for PIAA qualifying in both classes have returned, and the top three finishers for the singles, doubles and team tournaments will enter the state playoffs.

South Park junior Nicole Kempton, also a semifinalist from WPIAL Class AA singles last year, is back to lead the Eagles in their challenge to a WPIAL title.

Other returnees to watch in Class AA are singles quarterfinalists in Montour sophomore Peja Cruise, Valley senior Eden Richey and Beaver Area senior Fiona Rubino.

Class AAA

Like Knoch, defending WPIAL Class AAA team champion and PIAA runner-up Latrobe returns five starters, including senior Jenna Bell, the Wildcats’ No. 1 singles player, as well as senior singles standout Carolina Walters.

One missing piece from last year, however, is former coach Chad Kissell, who stepped down last month.

New coach Karissa (Walker) Skiba, a former tennis star at Latrobe who went on to play at the Air Force Academy, likes what she sees from the team.

“The girls are definitely excited and encouraged with what they were able to do last season and the goals they have set this season,” said Skiba, who won WPIAL and PIAA singles and doubles titles with the Wildcats and helped the program win the 2002 team title before graduating in 2003.

“We just want to take it one match at a time and see where that takes us. I am just really thankful and grateful to be their coach.”

In addition to team exploits in 2020, Bell represented Latrobe in the WPIAL singles semifinals and finished third overall.

Bell, Bethel Park senior Mia Gorman, Peters Township senior Kat Wang and Pine-Richland junior Elaine Qian battled it out for the title last season.

Gorman outlasted Qian for the championship in three sets.

She finished third in 2019 and qualified for states.

Wang lost to Gorman in last year’s WPIAL semifinals, but she has a chance for a doubles three-peat at the WPIAL level with junior teammate Marra Bruce.

The duo also will shoot for PIAA history as it goes after its third consecutive state championship.

Senior Carissa Shepard hopes to make things happen at the top for Fox Chapel after advancing to the WPIAL singles quarterfinals last year.

Latrobe (Section 1), Pine-Richland (Section 2), Shady Side Academy (Section 3) and Mt. Lebanon/Peters Township/Upper St. Clair (Section 4) enter this season as defending section champions.

Upper St. Clair made it to the WPIAL team finals before falling to Latrobe.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Knoch