Methacton’s Liang, Nouaime repeat as PAC doubles champions

GRATERFORD >> Call this their “encore” time.

Alice Liang and Hana Nouaime were one of the state’s top tennis pairings in 2020, reaching the PIAA Doubles Tournament’s finals. With hopes for a similar finish this fall, they took the first step Saturday by repeating as the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s champions.

The Warriors’ top-seeded underclassmen, in their first teaming of the fall, handled Spring-Ford’s Isabel Mejia and Cady Krause 6-0, 6-1. They were dominant the entire weekend, scoring a 10-1 win over Pope John Paul II’s Catie Fiore/Mia Zernick in the second round and 6-0, 6-0 sweeps of Upper Merion’s Reesa Glauner/Adele Eaton and Spring-Ford’s Evelyn Mejia/Alexis Luo.

“It didn’t take us long to mesh,” Nouaime said, “We’ve known each other a long time.”

With Liang strong at the net, and Nouiame solid on the baseline and in closing, the tandem won its first PAC championship with a straight-set 6-2, 6-1 win over the Rams’ Lucy Olsen and Emily Tiffan in 2020’s competition. At districts last year, it upset Council Rock top seeds Dasha Chichkina and Emma Traktovenko 6-3, 7-6 (6-1).

Leading the five-team PAC contingent to next weekend’s competition at Springfield YMCA, Liang and Nouaime figure Conestoga’s Leena Kwak and Ananya Krishnan to be the biggest challenge. They practiced with the Pioneer team recently, citing Kwak’s play at the net and Krishnan’s consistent ball placement as their strengths.

“It will be a matter of how well we play,” Liang said.

The third-place match was won by Owen J. Roberts’ Allison Root and Sonya Soeder, who topped SF’s Evelyn Mejia and Luo 7-6 (4), 6-3. In the fifth-place match, Methacton’s second doubles team of Anika Suresh and Lauren Montgomery prevailed over Perk Valley’s Gracie Strohecker and Kaitlyn Murphy in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

Representing the PAC in the Class AA field will be PJP’s Fiore and Zernick. The Golden Panthers’ second team beat their number-one teammates Tess Crossan and Mia DelMoro 8-5.

PAC Doubles Championship

At Perkiomen Valley

Friday’s Results

(Team and seed in parentheses)

Opening Round

(10-game No-Ad format)

C. Fiore/M. Zernick PJP2 def. J. Redrovan/K. Bearden  PT2  10-4; M. Bishop/M. Schulz PHX2 def. R. Lilliendahl/S. Mohollen PG1  10-0; K. Bussinger/B. Bussinger BT1 def. L. Greczek/L. Poulson UP1  10-8; A. Withers/I. Withers OJR2  def. J. Day/A. Bakube NT1 10-1; C. Doan/M. Evitts UM2 def. C. Bush/E. Vogel UP2 10-8; T. Crossan/M. Delmoro PJP1 def. V. Le/A. Hathaway PG2 10-1; L. Freese/T. McGuire PT1 def. A. Cadwallader/A. Schell BT2 10-2; L. Moyer/M. Kerry PHX1 def. A. Skipwith/S. Pendleton NT2  10-1.

—-

Second Round

(10-game No-Ad format)

A. Liang/H. Nouaime (Me-1) def. C. Fiore/ M. Zernick (PJP-2) 10-1; R. Glauner/A. Eaton (UMe-1) def. M. Bishop/M. Schulz (Px-2) 10-4; E. Mejia/A. Luo (SF-2) def. K.Bussinger/B. Bussinger (Bt-1) 10-1; G. Strohecker/K. Murphy (PV-1) def. A. Withers/I. Withers (OJR-2) 10-4; A. Root/S. Soeder (OJR-1) def. C. Doan/M. Evitts (UMe-2) 10-0; A. Suresh/L. Montgomery (Me-2) def. T.Crossan/ M. Delmoro (PJP-1) 10-2; S. Swarr/A. Sudarshan (PV-2) def. L.Fresse/T. McGuire (Pt-1) 10-3; I. Mejia/C.Krause (SF-1) def. L. Moyer/M. Kerry (Px-1) 10-0.

—-

Quarterfinals

(2-3 set format with Ads)

A. Liang/H. Nouaime Me-1) def R. Glauner/A. Eaton (UMe-1)  6-0, 6-0; E. Mejia/A. Luo (SF-2) def G. Strohecker/K. Murphy (PV-1) 6-0, 6-2; A. Root/S. Soeder (OJR-1) def A. Suresh/ L. Montgomery Me-2) 6-2, 6-4; I. Mejia/ C. Krause (SF-1) def. S. Swarr/ A. Sudarshan (PV-2) 6-0, 6-0.

Semifinals

(same format as quarterfinals)

A. Liang/H. Nouaime (Me-1) def  E.Mejia/ A. Luo (SF-2)  6-0, 6-0; I. Mejia/ C. Krause (SF-1) def. A. Root/ S. Soeder (OJR-1) 6-3, 6-1.

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Saturday’s Results

Championship

Alice Liang/Hana Nouaime (Me-1) def. Isabel Mejia/Cady Krause (SF-1) 6-0, 6-1.

Third Place

Allison Root/Sonya Soeder (OJR-1) def. Evelyn Mejia/Alexis Luo (SF-2) 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Fifth Place

Anika Suresh/Lauren Montgomery (Me-2) def. Gracie Strohecker/Kaitlyn Murphy 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

5th Place Playoffs

G. Strohecker/ K. Murphy (PV-1)  def.  R. Glauner/A. Eaton (UMe-1)  10-0; A. Suresh/ L.Montgomery (Me-2)  def S. Swarr/ A. Sudarshan (PV-2)  10-5.