Sports

Combination of Veterans, Youngsters for USC Tennis

The girls' team made it to the WPIAL quarterfinals in 2011.

A playoff defeat always is tough to take, as the Upper St. Clair High School girls’ tennis team experienced last year.

But one bright spot in the Panthers’ loss to Peters Township in the WPIAL Class AAA team semifinals: redemption for Megan Adamo.

USC’s No. 1 singles player scored a victory over Peters counterpart Stephanie Smith, turning the tables on the result when the two players met in the WPIAL singles quarterfinals.

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Adamo returns in 2012 for her fourth season as a starter for Upper St. Clair. Head coach Ryan Taucher looks for more success from the senior, whom he has been coaching since she was 8.

“She works hard both on the court and academically,” he said. “She’s a good team leader with good work ethic and kind of sets the tone for everyone else.”

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A diligent student, she serves as this year's student representative to attend Upper St. Clair School Board meetings.

This year’s tennis second and third singles are, respectively, sisters Alyza and Charlotte Madson. Alyza, a left-handed player, is a senior, and Charlotte moves into the lineup as a freshman.

The two participated in the Upper St. Clair tennis development program before their family moved to the state of California. They returned to the township last year.

Both of the Panthers’ doubles pairings were affected by graduation. Junior Kristin Stemmler’s new partner will be freshman Samantha Amos, and senior Kelly Burdette now is paired with sophomore Julia Gross.

Among opposing teams in WPIAL Section 4, Taucher mentioned a particular rivalry with Mount Lebanon.

“That’s probably our main competition as to who wins the section,” he said.


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