Mt. Leb­a­non, North Cath­o­lic hoist trophies

Mt. Lebanon junior Michelle Yang was acutely aware of what was going on around her as she dueled with Bethel Park sophomore Mackenzie Smock.

“I was asking between points when the [fans] were cheering, ‘Did 1-doubles win?’ ” Yang said. “I do check.”

When she took it all in, she realized there was a very good chance her match would decide a championship. And, as happenstance would have it, that was exactly how it all played out.

Yang ground out a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Smock for what turned out to be the clinching match, as Mt. Lebanon slipped past defending champion Bethel Park, 3-2, to claim the WPIAL Class 3A girls tennis team title at Washington & Jefferson College on Thursday.

“How you win WPIAL titles in girls tennis is depth,” Mt. Lebanon coach Chad Brown said. “It’s the same way we won two years ago. We won both doubles. You win both doubles, it’s hard to lose unless you’re that strong in singles.”

Mt. Lebanon last won in 2022 and has captured 15 team titles in school history. With the victory, the Blue Devils tied Upper St. Clair for the most championships in WPIAL history.

And there is a special spot for this title in Mt. Lebanon lore.

“I was telling the girls before we got here that the banner at Lebo had one spot left before we needed another girls tennis banner,” Brown said. “We’ve got to keep going. It’s not enough to win two in three years. We want that new banner and a new lead in the WPIAL leaders in girls tennis.”

Mt. Lebanon might want to designate Yang the team’s closer. It’s the second time in three years she was the clinching match for a WPIAL title.

In 2022, she teamed with Carly Grant at No. 1 doubles for the clincher in a 4-1 victory against North Allegheny.

“This was kind of like my freshman year, so you get used to it,” Yang said. “I wasn’t very nervous.”

Although Bethel Park dropped both doubles matches, it had its opportunities. Smock nearly sent the second set against Yang to a tiebreaker. No. 3 singles player Julia Gobbie won a three-setter against Elena Tatel, and No. 1 singles player Cami Fisher won in straight sets against Jackie Tang in a matchup of the last two WPIAL Class 3A doubles champions.

“I was a little bit surprised to make it,” Bethel Park coach Doug Addington said. “I think our Super Bowl was in our last match when we beat Shady Side Academy, and my No. 1 [Fisher] beat the two-year WPIAL singles champion [Meriwether McCargo].”

Class 2A

North Catholic freshman Evelyn Marche was one point away from losing the No. 3 singles match to Quaker Valley senior Jay Olawaiye and watching the Quakers walk off with the WPIAL Class 2A tennis team title.

But that was when she started a comeback that will go down in Trojanettes history.

Marche staved off a match point in the second set and did not lose another game, as she pulled out a 5-7, 7-5, 6-0 win against Olawaiye to close out a 3-2 North Catholic victory for the first title in school history.

“I was so nervous when I had match point, and I was trying to brush off the nerves and just focus,” Marche said. “I don’t know what happened. I was just trying in to lock in and focus and not get frustrated with myself.”

North Catholic was the No. 1 seed in the tournament but had never been in this position. The Trojanettes had never even played in a WPIAL final, much less won. Quaker Valley, the No. 2 seed, was seeking its first title since 2012.