Experienced Quaker Valley boys tennis team ready for prime time

By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, April 14, 2024 | 11:01 AM

The 2023 season was viewed as a dress rehearsal for 2024 for the Quaker Valley boys tennis team.

“If last year was a rehearsal, then this year is show time,” coach Christi Hays said.

QV won the Section 5-2A championship with a 10-0 record in 2023, then defeated Burrell, 5-0, in the WPIAL team tournament. But the Quakers suffered a devastating 3-2 loss to Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinal round.

“We missed states by one match,” Hays said. “And it was a match we felt we could have won. Ending the season (then) left a very bad taste in our mouths. I was pleased by how hard the boys took the loss. They were devastated, which showed me they really cared. I hoped they would remember that feeling going into this season.

“As a coach, you always wonder what motivates a team. Disappointment can be a big motivator. So far there is a palpable urgency that I am so thrilled to see. The boys look at 2024 as our chance as a team to finally put that disappointing loss to Chartiers Valley behind us and also create their own legacy as a squad.”

Quaker Valley has a solid one-two punch at the top of its lineup this season.

Seniors Chase Merkel and Joe Veeck at No. 1 and No. 2 singles have been joined by freshman William Meagher at the third singles position.

Merkel and Veeck were honorable mention selections for the Western Pennsylvania Boys Tennis Sportsmanship Award in 2023.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be named for this sportsmanship award,” Veeck said upon learning of his selection. “Sportsmanship is not always about playing fair and showing respect, but embodying integrity and kindness on the court. I always seek to conduct myself this way toward my opponent and those watching.”

QV was the only school in 2A with two award recipients.

“I’m thrilled that both Chase and Joe were recognized for this award,” Hays said. “I think sportsmanship is such an important part of the game of tennis. At the high school level especially, everything that happens inside the fence is up to the players to manage. So to be recognized by their peers, opponents and fellow coaches is an honor.”

Merkel is in his second season as the Quakers’ No. 1 singles player. He advanced to the WPIAL singles tournament in 2023 off his third-place finish at sectionals.

“One of (Merkel’s) strengths is definitely his serve,” Hays said. “He also has a really strong baseline game. And he can also handle himself well at the net when he decides to go in.”

Veeck is one of seven seniors on the QV squad this season.

“Joe is extremely consistent and can handle the backboard style player or the power player,” Hays said. “And Joe is extremely focused and is very calm and collected under pressure.”

“On a team of 10 varsity players, we have seven seniors again this year. They understand that we need to take advantage of the depth and talent because next year we will be rebuilding once again,” Hays said. “Most of them hit the courts in the offseason with a vengeance.”

Eight players are back from last season: Merkel, Veeck, seniors Brahm Gianiodis, Grant Webb, Will Watson, Matteo Castellini and Jason Clark and junior Matthew Henry.

“We picked up even more talent and depth with the addition of William Meagher and sophomore Tanner Schultz,” Hays said. “What we lacked in experience last year, we now have that to draw on as the season goes along.”

Along with Merkel, Veeck and Meagher at singles, Castellini will see both singles and doubles action at the No. 4 position.

“I think we’re going to be dominant, as always, and we’re going show up as we do every year,” Veeck said. “But are we ready? We’ll see. We just have to be patient. As a player, I have to have faith in my team and put in the effort myself.

“I’ve enjoyed the competition I’ve been getting within the last year. I really want to see double that this year and be able to push through what I wasn’t able to last year.”

QV’s lineup also includes Webb and Henry at first doubles duty and Watson and Gianiodis at second doubles.

“Tanner Schultz and Jason Clark also have already seen playing time and will continue to get more playing time,” Hays said. “And we have seen through the years how important the doubles points are in the short format used in high school matches.”

QV was a WPIAL finalist in 2019 and won back-to-back WPIAL championships in 2021-22.

“The success of the Quaker Valley boys tennis team the last five or six years is well documented,” Hays said, “most notably the back-to-back WPIAL team championships in 2021 and 2022. That had not been accomplished at QV since the repeat championships in 2002 and 2003.

“The team headed into the 2023 season with an abundance of excitement but even more questions. The biggest question was how could we possibly replace all seven of the starters of the 2022 squad who graduated and moved on to pursue their life’s work?

“How could we, or any team, replace practically an entire lineup and still be competitive and successful? We managed to do it because every returning player accepted the challenge and put in an incredible amount of work in the offseason, more than any squad in the last few years. I was really proud of how they took up the mantle of the ’21 and ’22 squads and worked to maintain that legacy.”

QV’s veteran coach is looking to build and maintain a championship combination throughout the 2024 season.

“We had a very spirited and competitive preseason as all the players jockeyed for the best position on the ladder,” Hays said. “If I am completely honest, we have more depth and versatility than almost any squad at QV in the last few years. Many of the boys are equally adept at singles and doubles, so we have talked about having a more fluid lineup than in recent years.

“We will try different lineups to hopefully settle on the winning combination by playoff time while still having some continuity and still winning along the way.”