The District One 3A doubles tennis tournament took place at the Springfield Delco YMCA this past Friday and Saturday. The top four teams advanced to the state tournament.
Two area tandems made it to the elite eight before bowing out. CB South sophomore Grace Piro and senior Lilly Johannan upset the fifth-seeded Council Rock South duo of freshman Michelle Lerman and sophomore Anya Zubenko 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 in a hard-fought match. Piro/Johannan then dispatched Upper Dublin’s Ava Trauger and Gabrielle Watington 6-1, 6-1 in the second round.
The seventh-seeded CB East squad of seniors Kaveena Ponamgi and Elizabeth Wilson held off Bishop Shanahan sophomores Ella Matulewicz and Renee Kinard 6-4, 6-2 in the first round. The Patriot duo were pushed to the limit but prevailed over West Chester Henderson’s Kaitlyn Evans and Kiera Koay 6-4, 6-7, 12-10 in the second round.
CR North seniors Grace Sargent and Elizabeth Lustig fell in the first round to Souderton’s Amanda Yang and Avantika Manna 7-5, 6-4.
Lerman and Zubenko quickly returned to the court with their teammates. In the first round of states on Tuesday, the CR South team steamrolled District 12 champion Central 5-0 in Philadelphia, winning all 10 sets. District finalist Dasha Chichkina (6-1, 6-0) won the first singles point, with Lerman capturing the second singles point and Zubenko the third.
South’s first doubles team of Emma Traktovenko/Isabella Prohorov and second doubles tandem of freshmen Kim Chen/Elizabeth Kraychik were also victorious, with the two freshmen winning all dozen games.
The Golden Hawks (17-1) face District Seven champion Mount Lebanon in the Oct. 28 quarterfinals.
Team quarters, semifinals and the final will be played at the Hershey Racquet Club on the 28th and 29th.
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