From Mirror reports
VALENCIA - The three-time District 6 Class AAA champion Hollidaysburg Area High School girls tennis team won its PIAA first-round playoff match for the third year in a row.
Hollidaysburg knocked off District 8 champion Allderdice, 4-1, at Lakeveuw Athletic Center on Tuesday to advance to Friday's PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals.
"We played [Allderdice] two years ago in the first round and were very successful against them,'' Hollidaysburg coach Brian Denis said. "We knew this year they had an outstanding No. 1 player and were a stronger team than two years ago. Our girls came out strong in the first sets, and [Allderdice] adjusted and were more competitive in the second sets, but we turned our game up a bit and ended playing well. It was one of our best matches of the season.''
Hollidaysburg's No. 2 singles player Marissa Lanzel won, 6-1, 6-4, and No. 3 singles player Susie Ellis prevailed, 6-0, 6-4. The doubles team of Nur Cardakli and Alyssa Kustenbauder won, 6-2, 6-0, and Sierra Cobler and Alyssa Pheasant triumphed, 6-1, 6-4.
The only setback was at No. 1 singles where Mariah Turiano fell to Hannah Famili, 6-0, 6-2.
"A lot of teams at this point have outstanding No. 1s and very good No. 2s,'' Denis said. "Both of our No. 2 and 3 singles players came out in the first set and really set the tone for us. When our other players saw how those two singles matches were going, it gave our doubles teams some confidence.''
Hollidaysburg, which fields a lineup of four juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen, will face District 1 champ Henderson in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Friday in Hershey.
"We're looking to play hard and compete,'' Denis said. "At this level, the exposure our girls are getting against some of the top programs in the state will only be beneficial for us. As long as we compete hard and play well, it can only make us better.''
SINGLES: 1, Famili, A, def. Turiano, 6-0, 6-2. 2, Lanzel, H, def. Haynes, 6-1, 6-4. 3, Ellis, H, def. M. Levine, 6-0, 6-4.
DOUBLES: 1, Cardakli-Kustenbauder, H, def. Friedman-Brown, 6-2, 6-0. 2, Cobler-Pheasant, H, def. S. Levine-Blasler, 6-1, 6-4.
Records: Hollidaysburg (15-0).
