Girls’ tennis: Harriton, Conestoga advance to District One semifinals, qualify for States
The Harriton and Conestoga girls’ tennis teams have displayed excellence on the court all season. On Tuesday afternoon, the two Central League powers won their PIAA District One Class AAA quarterfinal match to advance to the semi-finals and at the same time qualify for a spot in the upcoming Class AAA state tournament.
Harriton, the No. 3 seed advanced by virtue of its 3-2 win over the No. 5 seed Downingtown East while Conestoga, seeded No. 2 handed the No. 7 seed Unionville a 4-1 defeat in a match closer than the final score indicated.
“This was a great match!,” said Conestoga coach Fran Tomaselli. “I knew it was going to be close and it could not have been any closer with three matches going to three sets. The girls are very happy and excited to qualify for the state tournament.”
Harriton coach David Broida said this about his team, “We are very proud of our young team we have a young team that has showed continued growth during the season along with showing great poise during the district playoffs.”
The Pioneers opened district play with a 5-0 win over Council Rock North while Harriton opened up with a 3-2 win over Lower Merion with the No. 1 doubles team of Lauren Binnion and Sofia Kandoussi posting an important win.
Harriton will face Conestoga in one semi-final on October 19 at Perkiomen Valley High School while West Chester Henderson will face Methacton in the other semi-final. The championship and consolation will be held following the two semi-final matches later the same day at Perkiomen Valley.
In the regular season, Conestoga snuck by Harriton 4-3 with Harriton winning all of the singles matches while Conestoga won all of the doubles matches.