Joe Sager

Special to the Times

HERSHEY — The high school tennis season came to an end for Quaker Valley’s boys on Friday.

A week after competing in the PIAA team tournament, the Quakers’ Mike Sirianni, Will Sirianni and Thomas Pangburn returned to Hershey Racquet Club to take part in individual PIAA tournaments. However, their stay was short as they were eliminated in the first round.

“Both of our draws were really tough,” Quaker Valley coach Christi Hays said. “To be able to have a doubles team and a singles player in the state tournament, after having the team there for that tournament, is something to be proud of. It has been a special year for us.”

Mike Sirianni, a junior, fell in the first round of singles competition. Masterman sophomore Ajay Sheth posted a 6-1, 6-0 decision over Sirianni, the WPIAL silver medalist.

Will Sirianni and Pangburn dropped their first PIAA tournament doubles match. Devon Prep’s Mitchell Bramlage and Ryan Bill, the District 12 champs, took a 6-1, 6-0 victory. Pangburn, a senior, and Sirianni, a junior, were the WPIAL silver medalists.

“I thought our guys competed really well. Even though the scores didn’t look competitive, I thought our kids played a good, competitive match. I am really proud of all three of them,” Hays said. “I am not at all disappointed. They just got a really tough draw and you can’t help that. All you can help is your effort and they gave a great effort.

The Quakers return a majority of their roster next season. They are eager to defend their WPIAL team title and get back to Hershey.

“All of my guys are still talking about next year,” Hays said. “Since we finished early today, the Sirianni boys are going up to Kutztown on Sunday to play and get a little more match experience.”

KEITH BARNES

Tri-State Sports & News Service

MAY 22, 2021

9:00 AM

Hershey might be the “Sweetest Place on Earth,” but it was a bitter venue for WPIAL representatives in the PIAA team tennis finals at Hershey Racquet Club.

All four of the district’s representatives, two each in Class 2A and in Class 3A, were eliminated Friday in the quarterfinals.

Shady Side Academy was the last hope the WPIAL had to have a team move into the Saturday semifinals, but the Bulldogs, who were seeking their first state title since 2014, were knocked out by District 1 runner-up Conestoga, 3-2, to end the day.

Shady Side Academy’s top two singles players, Colin Gramley and Adeel Piracha, won in straight sets, but Adam Lauer lost in No. 3 singles to get Conestoga into the match at 2-1.

But Conestoga ruled the doubles as its No. 2 unit of Hemanth Kolluri and Leo Guillen took down Chase Hartman and Tom Certo, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, right before the No. 1 team of Manas Dhawan and Aryan Malhotra pulled out a grueling two-and-a-half hour match against Sam Blitzer and Will Karet, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), to close it out.

Franklin Regional made its first appearance in the team tournament after finishing second to Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL final. But after a 5-0 first-round romp over District 10 champion McDowell on Tuesday, the Panthers ran into the Lower Merion buzz saw as the Aces, which won three of the past five titles, aced out a 4-0 victory.

Things did not begin well for the WPIAL contingent as South Park took on Lancaster Catholic in the first match of the day in Class 2A. The Eagles came out a bit sluggish and the Crusaders took full advantage as they cruised to a 3-0 victory.

“They came out and you could tell their top seven were tennis players, for sure,” South Park coach Dawn Kempton said. “It was tough to watch them go down and I think No. 1 doubles [team of Alex Duing and Tim Lakatos] was off the court in a little over an hour.”

In addition to the top doubles team losing in straight sets, No. 1 singles player Joe Toth dropped a 6-0, 6-3 decision to Brendan McNamara, while senior Ethan Bowden lost, 6-1, 6-3 to Miles Durrett in No. 2 singles.

Quaker Valley nearly pulled out a victory in its quarterfinal match, but the Quakers, who were seeking their first state championship since 2003, dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to District 3 runner-up Conrad Weiser.

“It was tough,” Quaker Valley coach Christiana Hays said. “We really could have won that match and the coach from Conrad Weiser said he thought we were the second- and third-best teams in the tournament.”

First Published May 22, 2021, 9:00am

Joe Sager

Special to the Times

HERSHEY – Quaker Valley’s boys tennis team’s drive for a PIAA Class 2A title was stopped Friday.

Conrad Weiser defeated the Quakers, 3-2, in a quarterfinal match at the Hershey Racquet Club.

Quaker Valley’s Mike and Will Sirianni were victorious in the top two singles matches. The Scouts’ Alex Waltz edged Henry Veeck at No. 3 singles, 7-5, 6-2. Conrad Weiser’s Adam Noll and Carter Altland defeated Jack Bresch and Justin Hajdukiewicz, 7-5, 6-1, at No. 2 doubles to even the match at 2-all.

Mark Yazemboski and Aaron Pearson had a battle with Thomas Pangburn and Michael Lipton at first doubles, but prevailed, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2, to secure the win.

“Our guys lost the first set and got down in the second set, 4-1. They came back to win it in a  tiebreaker. Early in the third set, it was back and forth. They were tied, 2-2, and then the bottom fell out a little,” Quaker Valley coach Christi Hays said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way they battled. It really could have gone either way.

“Conrad Weiser had some very intelligent doubles teams. They had a lot of formations they threw at our guys, who had a little trouble adjusting to what was presented,” she continued. “It was a wonderful match. It was all we hoped for – to have a chance to get back there.”

Quaker Valley advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals in 2019, but fell to Pequea Valley, which beat Conrad Weiser for the PIAA title. There was no postseason last spring due to COVID-19.

“Every time I walked onto a tennis court since 2019, this is what I was hoping for today. It was great for our seniors and other returning players to get back here and for the new guys to experience it all. They have a new resolve to work harder and get back again next year,” Hays said.

“We had a great fan base up here, too. A lot of parents, grandparents and siblings all came up to watch. The boys had a chance to drive home with their families or take the bus home. Every single one wanted to take the bus back home together one last time and I was really proud of that.”

The Scouts (22-2) advance to Saturday’s semifinals at 10 a.m. against Masterman. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m.

The Quakers (15-1) were hoping to capture their first state title since they beat Danville, 3-2, for the 2003 PIAA crown. Pangburn and Bresch are Quaker Valley’s lone seniors.

“We have some underclassmen who were up here and experienced the whole thing and can’t wait to get out there next year,” Hays said. “I think we’ll be pretty strong next year also.”

            Two years ago, the Quaker Valley boys tennis team came up just short of winning its first WPIAL title since 2003, falling to Indiana, 3-2, in the WPIAL final.

Ever since, the Quakers have been looking for redemption.

On May 12, after earning the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class AA boys tennis team tournament, the Quakers got it with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over South Park at North Allegheny.

"Two years ago, we lost in the third set 3-2, ” senior captain Thomas Pangburn said. "So, we wanted it really badly this year. It’s been two years in the making honestly.”

Leading up to the WPIAL final, Quaker Valley coach Christi Hays said she allowed her players to pull on that experience from two years ago, and they were motivated enough to pull through with a victory.

"We talked about it a lot this past week, and I said, ‘Guys, look, we’ve had some disappointments. We let some opportunities get away from us. This is another opportunity, but with opportunity comes responsibility and it’s up to you guys to just get it done, ’ ” Hays said.

The Quakers weren’t going to let this opportunity slip through their fingers.

Junior Mike Sirianni led off the day by winning first singles with ease 6-2, 6-1 over South Park’s Joe Toth, but the Quakers dropped matches at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, leaving them down a point as both doubles matches went to three sets.

But throughout this season, Hays has boasted about her team’s depth, especially her doubles teams, which include senior captains Pangburn and Jack Bresch.

"My first doubles always like to go to three sets. I think they like the drama, ” Hays said with a laugh. "But then to have it come down to this, you can’t really write a screenplay that good.”

After winning the first set 6-1, Pangburn and teammate Mike Lipton dropped the second set to South Park’s Alex Duing and Tim Lakatos, 4-6. With the WPIAL title on the line, Pangburn and Lipton responded with a dominating 6-2 performance that allowed them to keep their title hopes alive.

"My partner and I thought two of our singles had won, so we thought that we had won WPIALs when we won, ” Pangburn said. "But when we got off the court, they said that we hadn’t yet.”

So, all the pressure was on Bresch and teammate Justin Hajdukiewicz, but coincidentally enough they also thought they had already won. So, as their teammates cheered on each point they won, they didn’t necessarily understand the pressure on them.

They came through with the victory anyway. After not serving an ace all season, Bresch started off the final game of the match with an ace before he and his teammate went on to earn a 6-3 victory and deliver the Quakers their first WPIAL title in nearly 18 years.

"I just had to put it all on the table and whatever happened, happened, ” Bresch said. "I was just hoping for the best.”

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Joe Sager

Special to the Times

McCANDLESS TWP. – As Quaker Valley’s last players remaining in action on North Allegheny’s tennis court in Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 2A boys team championship, Jack Bresch and Justin Hajdukiewicz had a feeling something was happening.

They just weren’t sure what.

The Quakers’ second doubles squad remained focused, though, and produced a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win to secure the WPIAL title for Quaker Valley in a 3-2 decision over South Park.

“We actually didn’t know it was down to our match until we finished, for better or worse. We did what we had to do,” Bresch said. “It’s pretty awesome because we had to fight for it.”

Mike Sirianni gave the Quakers a 1-0 lead when he produced a 6-2, 6-1 win over Joe Toth at first singles. The Eagles came back for a 2-1 advantage when Ethan Bowden defeated Will Sirianni, 7-5, 6-3, at second singles and Dylan Weiss fought off Henry Veeck, 6-3, 6-4, at third singles.

The Quakers’ duo of Thomas Pangburn and Michael Lipton knotted the match at 2-all with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 victory at first doubles. That left the match – and title – in the hands of Bresch and Hajdukiewicz.

“I tried not to look down at the others, so I had no idea what the scores were,” Hajdukiewicz said. “I was just trying to win.”

The fact their match played on while everyone else was finished wasn’t even a hint that the outcome came down to its result.

“I thought they were being nice to us (by letting us keep playing). I wasn’t 100 percent sure,” Hajdukiewicz said. “But, we got it, so it’s great.”

The duo overcame South Park’s rally in the second set to wrap up the match in the third set.

“After winning the first one and seeing them come back in the second one, that third one is difficult, but you have to get it done,” Hajdukiewicz said. “When you have everyone cheering for you, it feels kind of nice when you can put away those points and get everyone going.”

It’s Quaker Valley’s first WPIAL team title since 2003. The Quakers finished second in 2019 with a 3-2 heartbreaking loss to Indiana. They entered last season as a top contender, but COVID-19 brought all PIAA spring sports to a halt shortly after they began and canceled all playoff tournaments.

"I think what actually helped the momentum is Henry Veeck," Hays continued. "Even though he lost at third singles, he kept their player out there for a longer time. If he had come off quickly, there would have been a whole different momentum.”

“I am proud of all of them. They have put in the work. They have invested in themselves and today was the payout. It was really sweet.”

Quaker Valley opens PIAA tournament play Tuesday.

“Every single match, we’ve had to live up to our ranking,” Bresch said. “We’re not done yet.”

By: Greg Macafee 
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | 8:33 PM

It was a year of redemption at the WPIAL boys tennis team championships on Wednesday at North Allegheny High School.

Two years after coming up short on the same stage, Shady Side Academy and Quaker Valley captured WPIAL titles by a 3-2 score.

After losing to Fox Chapel 3-2 in 2019, the Bulldogs captured the Class AAA title by defeating top-seeded Franklin Regional. They captured victories at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, along with No. 1 doubles. It was their first WPIAL title since 2014 and their eighth overall.

“I’m just so proud of all of our players. They came, and they competed all year long from the start,” Shady Side Academy coach Sam Miller said. “I’m proud and happy for our two senior captains Colin (Gramley) and Adeel (Piracha), who have lost the last two WPIAL finals and now they finally get over the hump.”

The Quakers dropped a 3-2 decision to Indiana two years ago and were motivated to get back to the WPIAL championship this season. They fell behind early, but both doubles teams came through.

Quaker Valley coach Christi Hays said they used their loss from two seasons ago as a catalyst for their first WPIAL title since 2003.

“We talked about it a lot this past week, and I said, ‘Guys, look, we’ve had some disappointments. we let some opportunities get away from us. This is another opportunity, but with opportunity, comes responsibility and it’s up to you guys to just get it done,’ ” Hays said.

Mike Sirianni earned the Quakers a point at No. 1 singles with a 6-2, 6-1 score, but the Quakers lost at No. 2 and No. 3 singles as South Park’s Ethan Bowden (7-5, 6-3) and Dylan Weiss (6-3, 6-4) earned the victories.

The match came down to Quaker Valley’s two doubles teams, and Hays has had confidence in her team’s depth all season.

“My first doubles always like to go to three sets. I think they like the drama,” Hays said with a laugh. “But then to have it come down to this, you can’t really write a screenplay that good.”

The doubles teams of Thomas Pangburn and Michael Lipton and Jack Bresch and Justin Hajdukiewicz came away with victories to secure the win.

Pangburn and Lipton won their first set, 6-1, but dropped their second set 6-4. With their backs against the wall, Pangburn and Lipton earned a 6-2 victory.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Pangburn said. “Two years ago, we lost in the third set. So we wanted it really bad this year. It’s been two years in the making so we are pretty pumped up.” 

Bresch and Hajdukiewicz won their first set as well before dropping their second set 6-4. Then, with the match on the line, Bresch, who is a senior captain alongside Pangburn, served his first ace of the season on the first point of the game and led the Quakers to a WPIAL title.

“I just had to put it all on the table and whatever happened, happened,” Bresch said. “I was just hoping for the best.” 

Before the Quakers stormed back for their first title in nearly 18 years, the Bulldogs controlled their match against the Panthers from the beginning.

Advait Kulkarni captured the first point for the Panthers with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Shady Side senior Adam Lauer, but that’s where their momentum stopped and Shady Side’s started.

Playing at No. 2 singles, Piracha battled with Franklin Regional’s Shrey Ramesh, and the seniors went back and forth. But it was Piracha, who placed third at the WPIAL singles tournament, who came out on top 6-4, 6-2.

“This was just great to get a shot at redemption,” Piracha said. “Sophomore year we got second place and now we finally get a shot to redeem ourselves and get the win.” 

After Piracha’s captured Shady Side’s first point of the match, the team of Sam Bitzer and Will Karet captured No. 1 doubles with a 6-4, 6-1 win over the Franklin Regional team of Vishal Thulasiram and Adi Arkalgud.

Coming into the match, the Panthers said they were hoping to capture both doubles matches, so once Gramley saw his teammates finish the job he was even more excited.

“Seeing them pull off that first set made me feel so relieved,” Gramley said. “I knew Adeel was going to pull it out so at that point I had to just focus on myself and let everything else just fall into place.” 

Gramley was then in the position he wanted to be in all year long. He was one of two matches remaining, and it was squarely in his hands. At that point, he had won the first set against Anup Nadesan, 6-3, and was leading in the second set.

Things started to change, though, as he was leading 4-1. Nadesan took back-to-back games from Gramley, but the WPIAL singles runner-up didn’t panic.

“He held a tight game. Then I was up 40-love, and I lost my service game, so in that moment I was just thinking, ‘We’re back on serve now. It’s all good,’ ” Gramley said. “I just had to stay calm and put the last two games out of my head.”

Gramley responded with two straight game victories to capture the title for Shady Side.

“This is just ridiculous because we’ve been trying to do it for two years, then we got last year taken away from us,” Gramley said. “So right now, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

All four teams from Wednesday’s tournament will advance to the PIAA tournament next week, and they will be joined by Class AA third-place finisher North Catholic, which defeated Valley, 4-1, on Wednesday.Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Joe Sager

Special to the Times

McCANDLESS TWP. – Two comebacks came up short Wednesday for Quaker Valley’s boys tennis team.

The Quakers’ Will Sirianni and Thomas Pangburn rallied from a huge deficit in their first match, but fell in the WPIAL Class 2A doubles championship. Quaker Valley’s Henry Veeck and Michael Lipton rebounded from a loss in their first set, but dropped a 2-1 decision in the consolation match.

Sirianni, a junior, and Pangburn, a senior, got off to a slow start against South Park’s Joe Toth and Ethan Bowden. The Eagles built a 5-2 lead before the Quakers stormed back. They had a chance to win the first set, but dropped a 7-5 decision.

“We just weren’t making a lot of first serves in and we were just hitting a lot of unforced errors,” Pangburn said. “We calmed down and started playing some tennis, instead of just giving up free points.”

“It is frustrating having a high like that after coming back and getting really close and it was anybody’s set,” Sirianni added. “These things happen and you just have to forget about it and focus on the next one and next point.”

Quaker Valley’s momentum did not carry over to the second set as the Eagles posted a 6-2 victory to claim gold.

“There was a lot of mental energy spent trying to make that comeback. We weren’t able to pull through with it, even though we had the momentum,” Pangburn said. “Going to another set and doing the same things was frustrating.”

“It would have boosted our confidence (to complete the comeback) and I think we could have carried that momentum into the second set and could’ve turned it into a win,” Sirianni said. “But, you can’t control everything. Sometimes, you play a bad game or your opponent plays out of its mind. That’s tennis – you just have to deal with it and move on.”

Fortunately for Pangburn and Sirianni, they do move on to the PIAA doubles tournament, which opens May 28.

“We still have something to look forward to,” Sirianni said. “We may not get the seed we want, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll just play whoever and try our best and, hopefully, it goes well.”

“There’s a lot of tennis left for us,” Pangburn added. “It’s my senior year. I am just happy I was able to come to a tournament and play and actually have a tennis season, unlike last year. It’s awesome to get out and have a good time playing tennis.”

In the consolation match, Winchester Thurston’s Oscar Nigam and Allen Gao took the first set from Veeck and Lipton, 6-4. The Quaker Valley juniors rallied for a 6-3 win in the second set. They had a 5-4 lead in the third set, but the Bears duo came back and posted a 7-5 decision and claimed the WPIAL’s final PIAA berth.

“At the end, they got a little tentative. At that point, they just needed to make the other team earn it and they got too careful with their returns,” Quaker Valley coach Christi Hays said. “That Winchester team is very good at the net. We weren’t committing to our returns. I am disappointed they won’t be going to states, but they are juniors and now they know what it takes. I am hoping they will travel with us so they get to see what it’s really like.”

Hays looks forward to Sirianni and Pangburn getting a chance to play in the state tournament.

“We would’ve loved to get the gold medal and go into states as the No. 1 seed from our district because they would get a better draw, but I think they’ll still get a decent draw and I think they gained a lot of experience with the way they fought back,” she said. “That South Park team is very tough. It’s a lefty-righty team and they make you earn every point; they don’t give you any free points. And, they have tremendous topspin lobs, which I don’t think a lot of teams have. It’s such a weapon.

“I am proud of the way my guys battled back. Historically, they are a little slow starting, so we really need to work on that. We gave them too many points and they are too good of a team for us to give them anything,” she continued. “There are definitely things we can work on going into states.”

By: Greg Macafee 
Sunday, April 18, 2021 | 11:01 AM

Stepping onto the tennis court to compete for a WPIAL section title is a goal in itself, but imagine stepping onto the court and seeing your twin on the opposite side.

Twin brothers Mike and Will Sirianni, who are juniors at Quaker Valley, found themselves in that situation April 8 when they were playing for the Section 4-AA singles title.

Mike ended up winning the match, 6-3, 6-4, and while it was a special moment for the brothers, he said they were just trying to treat it like another match.

“It was one of the few competitive matches that we’ve played,” Mike said. “It’s nothing too different, we were just an opponent across the court from each other.”

But it was also a goal for the twins.

“It was fun and we had that initial thought that Mike and I would meet each other because that was the goal,” Will said. “We just wanted to play till we meet each other and then have fun and see how it plays out.”

Mike cruised through the top part of the section singles bracket, beating Keystone Oaks’ Quinn Kenny, 10-0, and Aquinas’ Jackson Gillespie, 6-0, 6-1, to punch his ticket to the section finals. Will found himself at the other end of the bracket as he beat Keystone Oaks’ Hayden Kenny, 10-1, and earned a spot opposite his brother with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Winchester Thurston’s Oscar Nigam.

Then Mike and Will had a whole night to think about what it was going to be like the next day when they faced off for the section title.

“We weren’t really nervous or anything, we were kind both just like, ‘Good job, we made it,’” Will said. “I think we were both just looking forward to playing each other and looking past that into WPIALs as well.”

Mike and Will went from the section tournament to the WPIAL singles tournament April 14-15, and they found themselves on the same stage once again. This time though, the brothers were next to each other.

As Mike competed for the WPIAL singles championship against North Catholic’s Nicolas Scheller, Will was on the court right next to him competing for third place against Thomas Jefferson’s Drew Dimidjian.

“It feels good for both of us to have made it this far into the WPIAL tournament,” Mike said after dropping his match to Scheller, 6-1, 6-1.

Will ended up dropping his match to Dimidjian, 6-1, 6-3, but in the end, their journey to the first- and third-place matches in the WPIAL tournament was a result of the hard work they put in over the past year.

Along with the rest of the WPIAL, the Sirianni twins didn’t have the opportunity to play high school tennis last season after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the spring sports season. But that didn’t stop them from putting in work throughout the offseason to come back prepared for this year.

“Mike and I are of similar levels, so we each have good hitting partners,” Will said. “So, over the break, we just tried to get out whenever we could and play as much as we could. We tried to work on things that we might lose like that match toughness and the touch. So that was great to have that person to play with whenever I wanted. It’s just one of the advantages of having a twin brother who plays tennis.”

They also motivated each other to keep working. When one may not have wanted to practice, the other one was right there to convince him.

“It’s definitely nice having someone who you are always with that can play,” Mike said. “You can always just go and hit around, even if it’s just for 30 minutes. It’s definitely nice to have someone right next to me that’s always willing to play. We definitely push each other.”

Will and Mike aren’t done yet. After placing second in the WPIAL singles tournament, Mike has moved on to compete in the PIAA singles tournament; Will will turn his attention to the section and WPIAL doubles tournaments.

Both will continue to help the Quakers work toward a WPIAL team title, as well.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Andrew Chiappazzi

Beaver County Times

MCCANDLESS TWP. – They faced opponents with different styles and had different rewards at stake, but Quaker Valley brothers Mike and Will Sirianni each had to deal with the same challenge at the WPIAL Class 2A singles tennis championship on Wednesday.

Already down a set and facing an early deficit in the second set, would they fight to salvage a few points and perhaps turn the match around? Or would they slink away quietly?

The Siriannis found a way to fight. In the Class 2A championship, Mike Sirianni gathered himself and forced North Catholic’s Nicolas Scheller into a series of errors. It was only enough to quiet Scheller for a spell as Sirianni ultimately lost to Scheller 6-1, 6-1, but it was still a moment of pride for the Quaker Valley junior as he accepted the WPIAL silver medal and a berth in the PIAA Class 2A singles tournament.

Quaker Valley coach Christi Hays said Scheller, who gave up four points the entire tournament, provided a stiff challenge with his power. The goal was to make him move, and Mike Sirianni started to do that more in the middle of the second set.

“You’re not going to outslug him. You’re not going to out-hit him,” Hays said. “So just try to make him hit as many balls as you can. I thought Mike played beautifully today. I was very excited about the way he played.”

About a half hour after Mike Sirianni hit the reset button on his match with Scheller, Will Sirianni started to do the same in the WPIAL Class 2A consolation match on the next court over. Down 4-1 to Thomas Jefferson’s Drew Dimidijan in the second set, Will Sirianni clawed back to make it 4-3 before Dimidijan was able to pull away for a 6-1, 6-3 win.

Wednesday was the latest chapter in what could be a pretty fruitful junior season for the Sirianni twins. They finished first and second in the Section 2-2A tournament, second and fourth in the WPIAL tournament, and they’ll headline a deep Quaker Valley team for the WPIAL team tournament in May.

“What’s really fun about it is they have a built-in practice partner,” Hays said. “They have different games, but they really push each other.”

“It’s definitely pretty cool. It means we’re both around the same level,” Mike Sirianni said. “We push each other. When one of us does something good, the other wants to be better or just try to match that. It pushes you a little more.”

“It’s a dream come true,” Will Sirianni added. “I think Shady Side was the only other team (in the singles tournament) with two players, so we’re one of the rare teams to do that. It’s just really cool.”

The PIAA singles tournament isn’t until May 28-29 in Hershey, so Mike Sirianni has some time to prepare for what should be a favorable draw and a potential run at a state medal.

It’s possible Will Sirianni could join his brother on the trip in pursuit of a state medal. Will teamed up with Potter Oliver to win WPIAL silver and make a state playoff appearance in the Class 2A doubles tournament as a freshman. Given his experience, it’s possible he’ll be in the bracket when the section doubles tournaments begin next week. The WPIAL doubles championship is the following week on April 28. The state doubles tournament is the same weekend as the singles championship in Hershey.

“I don’t want to tip my hand,” Hays said with a smile beneath her mask, “but we’ll see.”

Andrew Chiappazzi is a sports reporter and multimedia content specialist for the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at chiappazzia@timesonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @BCT_AChiappazzi.

By: Greg Macafee 
Sunday, April 11, 2021 | 11:01 AM

The Quaker Valley boys tennis team went on a run to the PIAA tournament in 2019 and finished with an overall regular season record of 10-2. Before the coronavirus pandemic canceled their season last year, the Quakers were hoping to do it again.

Now, for a third straight season, the Quakers have the confidence and the depth they need to compete for a WPIAL championship and even more in 2021.

The Quakers opened the season by winning their first five matches, including section victories over Winchester Thurston, Keystone Oaks and McGuffey. They also beat Class AAA opponents Moon and West Allegheny.

“Their maturity, their mindset and their focus has been really fun to see,” Quaker Valley coach Christi Hays said. “They are really maturing at the right time, and it’s all coming together. We aren’t looking too far ahead, though, either. We are just taking it one match at a time.”

The Quakers have a lot going for them. With twin brothers Mike and Will Sirianni leading the way at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and plenty of talent throughout the lineup that includes juniors Henry Veeck, Michael Lipton and Devin Carter, as well as senior captains Thomas Pangburn and Jack Bresch, Hays believes she has a solid team from top to bottom.

But the talent level doesn’t stop at the end of her starting lineup. Hays believes, outside of the Sirianni twins, most of her roster is interchangeable.

“The great thing about the team this year is they don’t drop off at all,” Hays said. “I have 10 guys on the varsity and maybe outside of our top two boys, the rest of the team is interchangeable almost, so I think that is really going to be our strength this year because all the way down the lineup we are strong.”

Along with talent, the Quakers also have the motivation to make another deep run. They were set to have five starters returning from the 2019 team last season, and they thought they were in store for an even better year. So, when the season was canceled, the Quakers were severely disappointed, but they didn’t let it stop them from making improvements.

Hays said the team got right back to work this offseason with hopes of making another trip to Hershey.

“They made it a goal to work so hard in the offseason, with the goal of competing this season,” Hays said. “They didn’t let any time pass. They just got right to work, and they’ve all played more tennis than they have ever played before.”

The Quakers are reaping the rewards of their hard work. They have won all three of their section matchups by a 5-0 score, and they won matchups against West Allegheny and Moon by a score of 4-1.

Quaker Valley got a taste of what it takes to compete at the top level two years ago in a loss to Indiana in the WPIAL championship match and then competed in the state quarterfinals at the Hershey Racquet Club in Hershey. It gave them the experience and the drive that they needed to get back there again.

“They didn’t really know what it was all about, and they certainly got a taste of it in the WPIAL finals and Hershey was even a little bit more for them,” Hays said. “So, the good news is that our experienced players can tell the younger ones what it’s like and that helps a lot.”

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Joe Sager

Times Sports Correspondent

LEETSDALE – Optimism turned to disappointment last spring for Quaker Valley’s boys tennis team.

Coming off a runner-up finish at the WPIAL Class 2A team finals and a strong showing at the PIAA tournament in 2019, the Quakers were excited to challenge for both titles in 2020 with five returning starters. However, their journey lasted one match as COVID-19 precautions halted the spring athletic seasons almost as soon as they began.

Now, though, Quaker Valley remains focused on making up for lost time.

“Last year was awful. It was so disappointing. We had such a good chance,” Quaker Valley junior Mike Sirianni, the team’s No. 1 singles player, said. “It’s great this year. Last year was looking pretty good. The team was looking pretty good and I thought we had a pretty good chance. The year before, we made it pretty far into states.”

“It was a disappointment last year not having a full season,” added Will Sirianni, Mike’s twin brother and No. 2 singles player. “This year, I think we’re all in a good spot. We’re very optimistic this year. We do believe we can win and do very well. I know that I am excited and everybody else on the team is excited to have a good season.”

“You have to roll with the punches,” Will Sirianni said. “The immediate focus was looking to next year. How can we prepare and be the best we can be going into the season? Everybody worked super hard and we’re excited to see what happens.”

Dedication is what has Quaker Valley among the favorites to contend for a WPIAL title.

“These kids are resilient,” Quaker Valley coach Christi Hayes said. “The work they’ve put in is tremendous. For a while, Quaker Valley tennis players were known as good athletes who played tennis. We didn’t have a lot of kids who played all year and took lessons. That changed about two or three years ago. They play a lot and they take a lot of lessons and play in tournaments. We’re true tennis players. That’s fun. It’s a whole different mindset than before.”

The Quakers return an experienced group with starters Mike and Will Sirianni at the first two singles spots and junior Henry Veeck at third singles. Senior Thomas Pangburn and junior Michael Lipton are at first doubles. Junior Devin Carter and senior Jack Bresch are back on the varsity team, too. Junior Justin Hajdukiewicz and freshmen Joseph Veeck and Chase Merkel will get some chances to play as well.

“So many times, it comes down to doubles,” Hayes said. “We have four or five players who really embrace playing doubles. I don’t know that there are too many teams out there who have two really solid doubles teams. That was really one of our strengths in 2019. We seem to have the same sort of composition this year.

“Our team is so deep this year – we probably have four or five on the junior varsity that would be on the varsity team any other year.”

The team’s depth and talent make for challenging practices.

“We’re all of similar levels,” Will Sirianni said. “Everybody can pick up the slack when we’re playing a difficult team. I don’t have to worry about them making mistakes. I know they can handle themselves. Everybody has experience and knows how to play.”

“Going through it kind of relieves the pressure,” Will Sirianni said. “The team members who were present at states have that experience and know what it’s like and can help the inexperienced people understand what it takes to perform at that level.”

One change the Quakers must face is a new section. The team was shifted to Section 4, which features no local opponents.

“Going into it, we had no real idea of who we were playing. Our first section match was against Winchester Thurston and we won, 5-0,” Will Sirianni said. “We just look to continue that to our next section matches. We’re looking forward to going as far as we can, but we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. We’ll see where it takes us.”