By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, October 8, 2023 | 11:01 AM

It had been more than a decade since Quaker Valley won a section title in girls tennis.

But the Quakers rolled through league play this season to claim their first section championship since 2012.

“To say this season from the very beginning back in August to now has been a surprise and a delight would be a complete understatement,” QV coach Christi Hays said. “(Last year) was a good season for the Lady Quakers, finishing 9-3, second in our section and as a WPIAL team qualifier.”

QV lost only one starter from the 2022 squad.

“So we were hopeful to win the section this year,” Hays said, “but knew we still had tough Montour and Winchester-Thurston teams in our way.

“Then, the tennis gods looked down on us and gave us a gift we didn’t expect but are so very grateful for. We got word going into preseason that junior Kirsten Close had made the decision to transfer to Quaker Valley from Sewickley Academy.”

As a transfer student, Close was permitted to compete for the Quakers during the regular season but would be ineligible for any postseason play.

“We were still thrilled to have her join the squad,” Hays said. “And from the moment Kirsten stepped on the court that very first day of preseason, the impact she’s had on the whole squad has been incredible. What she brings is not only her immense talent but also a work ethic that is contagious.

“She really seems to have rediscovered a love for the game and competing. Her influence on all her teammates has been fun to watch.”

A WPIAL qualifier last season, Close said a curriculum change at Sewickley Academy led to her move to QV.

“I decided to really focus on tennis and try to get recruited,” she said. “Before joining the (QV) tennis team, I was a bit nervous and didn’t know what to expect socially and performance-wise because I only briefly knew about a few players. But I really clicked with the team as I started to get to know the girls, making my season really enjoyable.”

Two of Close’s biggest wins this year came against top WPIAL singles players Cecilia Gurgel, a Winchester-Thurston junior, and Grace Stitt, a junior at Hampton.

Ashley Close, a Sewickley Academy senior and Kirsten’s older sister, also is a standout tennis player who won the WPIAL Class 2A singles title in 2021 and placed second in 2022.

Both girls also have participated in lacrosse in high school.

“I don’t know if I am going to play lacrosse at Quaker Valley despite their amazing team,” Close, the junior, said. “I am really focusing on tennis right now, but maybe if I change my mind in the spring I will play.”

Kirsten Close was selected as a co-captain on this year’s tennis team at QV alongside junior Joyce Olawaiye and senior Taylor Martin. The trio led the Quakers to a 6-0 record in Section 5-2A and seven wins in the first 10 matches.

“The team and I went into the season not expecting much and just wanting to have fun,” Close said, “but it turned out really successful.”

Along with Close, who is undefeated at No. 1 singles, the Quakers welcomed back Olawaiye, sophomores Livia Jobbins, Jane Lenhard and Parker Barnes, and juniors Emaan Ashfaq and Keira Cowher, a distant relative of former Steelers coach Bill Cowher.

“We also picked up freshmen Hannah Stein and Noor Ashfaq,” Hays said, “as well as our top JV players from last year, Martin and junior Mae Kruawangmon. The ladies have all gotten significant playing time, and I would say all of them have shown significant improvement since last season.

“Our lineup has been very fluid this year from match to match. Our success has definitely been a team effort.”

With an overflow of talent highlighting this year’s varsity roster, QV’s veteran tennis coach faced a welcomed dilemma all season long.

“One of my challenges has been to find enough playing time for each girl,” Hays said, “and also to find their right roles. Singles are the more coveted roles, but in my experience, the doubles lines have also been crucial to any team’s success.

“Doubles requires a different mindset and skill set from singles, so transitioning is challenging. We are lucky to have Lenhard and Barnes again this year, but credit also goes to Jobbins and Stein for taking on some of the doubles duties in addition to their frequent No. 3 singles duties.”

Olawaiye, a three-year starter, finished fourth in the section tournament this season, just missing out on a WPIAL playoff berth.

“She has been a constant at No. 2 singles,” Hays said.

Olawaiye is unbeaten at the second singles position. She performed at first singles last season and at second as a freshman.

“I’m very proud of our performance this year,” Olawaiye said. “My expectations weren’t too high, but I was expecting to do better than last year because we have stronger players now and everyone has come back better than last year.”

Olawaiye also is a top athlete on the QV girls track and field team that won the WPIAL Class 2A championship last season.

“I really enjoy playing both sports,” she said.

Jobbins and Barnes also were on the girls track and field team in the spring. In tennis, Jobbins advanced to the quarterfinal round of the sectional competition. Lenhard and Barnes made it to the quarterfinals in doubles.

Stein and Jobbins were section finalists and WPIAL doubles qualifiers.

The Quakers defeated the likes of Ambridge, Carlynton, Hopewell, Keystone Oaks, Montour and Winchester-Thurston in section play this year.

“We are headed to the WPIAL team championships — without Close but still with a great attitude,” Hays said. “We knew this year would be a bit of a ‘dress rehearsal’ for next year.

“But we will celebrate our successes so far, especially our long-awaited section title, and see how far we can get in the tourney before running into a powerhouse like Knoch or Sewickley Academy. We will definitely give it our all, like we’ve done all season.”

By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, October 22, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Sewickley Academy was looking to win its ninth WPIAL championship in girls tennis.

The second-seeded Panthers, however, settled for second place, losing a 3-2 decision to No. 1 Knoch in the Class 2A finals Oct. 18 at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center at Washington & Jefferson College.

“Obviously, today’s match was very close, but we played with our hearts,” said junior Rayna Thakkar, who competes at the No. 1 singles position for SA. “It was a tough loss but we hope and are excited for the opportunity to possibly play Knoch again in states.

“We have grown so much since the start of the season and have gotten stronger each match we’ve played.”

Sewickley defeated No. 15 McGuffey, No. 7 Quaker Valley and No. 3 North Catholic by 5-0 scores in the first three rounds of the WPIAL tournament.

During the regular season, the Panthers, led by Thakkar, senior Gwyneth Belt and junior Maria Sirianni at the singles positions, won a section title for the 16th consecutive year and for the 20th time since 1995.

At first doubles were seniors Anjalie Shah and Abby Bojalad while two underclassmen, freshman Rani Shah and sophomore Annabelle Christ, competed at second doubles.

Against Knoch, Shah and Christ posted a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 2 doubles and Sirianni captured a 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 decision at third singles.

After starting out the season with a nonsection defeat to 3A semifinalist Shady Side Academy, the Panthers racked up 13 consecutive victories to take a 13-1 record into the WPIAL championship round.

“I am super proud of our team’s performance this season,” Thakkar said. “A lot of people doubt our team due to our loss of players from last season. However, this is the hardest working and most devoted team I have ever been a part of.

“I think what sets us apart from other teams is our confidence, and our faith in each other. We work together as a whole and a single person’s loss is everyone’s loss just as a single person’s win is everyone’s win. I feel that is a huge part of why we have been so successful and will continue to be this season.”

Two girls not playing tennis at SA this fall were senior Ashley Close, a former WPIAL champion who decided to sit out the season to concentrate on her studies, and her sister, junior Kirsten Close, who transferred to Quaker Valley prior to the start of the 2023-24 school year.

Thakkar helped organize a program called Steel City Codes at her school. She also has taken classic Indian and Bollywood dance classes since the age of 5. 

Thakkar and Belt both were looking forward to turning the page and competing in the PIAA tournament.

“We faced a talented team from Knoch and came up a little short,” Belt said, “but I am very proud about how my teammates played. The team has battled throughout the playoffs and we’ve had successful wins.

“Many people thought we would struggle to compete at a high level after losing two key players. However, our team came together and showed grit and perseverance which has resulted in a great season.”

Sewickley finished with a 6-0 record in Section 4, defeating Central Valley, Beaver, Ellwood City, Blackhawk, Beaver Falls, Riverside and Neshannock. The Panthers won five section matches by 5-0 scores.

Quaker Valley, meanwhile, participated in the playoffs minus its No. 1 singles player, Kirsten Close, who finished undefeated in the regular season.

Close was able to play in regular-season matches but was forced to take a seat for the postseason because of a WPIAL transfer rule.

“It’s definitely different,” she said. “It is what it is. I’m here to support my team. I definitely did have mixed emotions looking at my old team beat my new one (in the WPIAL quarterfinals), but if I would want to lose to anyone it would be them. I truly wish all of them the best luck.”

Against QV, Sewickley was led by Thakkar, Belt and Sirianni in the singles competition, along with the doubles tandems of Anjali Shah/Bojalad and Rani Shah/Christ.

QV’s lineup consisted of junior Joyce Olawaiye, sophomore Livia Jobbins and freshman Hanna Stein in the singles positions, with sophomores Parker Barnes and Jane Lenhard, and junior Kiera Cowher and senior Taylor Martin, at doubles.

Olawaiye, unbeaten at second singles this year, moved to No. 1 singles for the postseason. She is a three-year starter who played at first singles last season and at second as a freshman.

Olawaiye also is a gifted athlete in the QV track and field program, specializing in the triple and long jumps.

“I’m very proud of our (tennis) team’s performance this year,” she said. “We had a really amazing season. Everyone went out there and gave it their all.”

QV’s netters finished first in Section 5, winning their first section championship since 2010.

“We couldn’t have done it without the amazing team of girls we have this year,” Olawaiye said. “We’ve had a really amazing season.”

By: Don Rebel 
Sunday, September 10, 2023 | 9:40 PM

Tennis anyone?

Between 2004 and 2012, the Quaker Valley girls tennis program won six WPIAL championships, including gold four years straight from 2004-07.

The Quakers are on an 11-year drought since winning the 2012 title.

Quaker Valley is tied for first place in Section 5-2A with Montour. On Monday they meet for the first time at Montour.

Last year, the Quakers and Spartans were upset in the first round of the Class 3A team playoffs.