Great Valley defeats gritty Avon Grove in district team tourney opener

East Whiteland >> Great Valley relied on its doubles teams to defeat a gritty Avon Grove squad, 3-2, in the first round of the PIAA District 1 3A boys’ tennis team tournament Thursday.
The No. 6 seed Patriots prevailed in straight sets at first doubles, second doubles and third singles against a strong 11th-seeded Avon Grove squad that compiled a 9-4 record (11-2 at five-court competition) during the regular season.
“I thought our doubles teams especially played very well today,” said Great Valley head coach Gerry McGrath. “They got out (ahead) early and kind of kept their foot on the gas. The credit for that goes to our coach Meredith Bebee; she’s been working with our doubles teams for a while, and really has them playing well.”
At first doubles, the Great Valley duo of senior Will Otterbein and sophomore Anuj Awatramani earned a 6-1, 6-0 win; and at second doubles, the Patriot pair of sophomore Josh Verano and freshman Ishaan Joshi carved out a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Otterbein and Awatramani placed fourth in the recent Ches-Mont American doubles tournament, and have a chance to enter the upcoming District 1 3A doubles tournament as a wild card (the seeding meeting for the district doubles tourney is May 9)..
“Will and Anuj blend very well together,” said McGrath. “Anuj is a fantastic returner, his volleys are locked in. Will is kind of a mature presence, a quarterback on the court.
“Josh and Ishaan came together late in the season; Ishaan joined Josh because of an injury, and they play very relaxed, they have fun on the court, and I think that helps them. They’re a fun team to watch.”
At third singles, Great Valley sophomore Vivek Arvind prevailed, 6-0, 6-3. Last year, as a freshman, Arvind played third singles for the Patriots in the District 1 3A team tournament, as Great Valley won the first round of Districts in 2022, also.
“Today I thought I played a clean, solid game,” said Arvind. “I came to the net a lot. I served really well, and I feel pretty happy with how I performed. I was working on my all-around game today.”
McGrath said, “The first set, Vivek was pretty dialed in; in the second set, his opponent played much steadier and put more depth on his ball,” said McGrath. “Vivek hits a hard ball, and he’s really been working hard to improve his game.”
For Avon Grove, sophomore Joe Ingram won at first singles and senior Jack Perlman gutted out a hard-earned victory at second singles. Ingram and Perlman combined their talents to finish fourth at the recent Ches-Mont National doubles tournament, and they have a chance to enter the District 1 3A doubles tournament as a wild card.
“Avon Grove is a really good team, and this match could have gone a different way,” said McGrath. “(Head coach) Diane Maund does a really nice job with them; she has a nice way with the players.”
Perlman’s victory at second singles Thursday was a hard-fought affair; after winning the first set 6-2 and falling in the second set 4-6, his calf cramped up during the 10-point tiebreaker but he prevailed for a 10-7 win.
“In the second set I could feel it starting to tighten up, and in the tiebreaker I fell to the ground,” said Perlman. “But I really wanted to win this match after winning the first set, and I took some electrolytes and (the cramp) went away.”
Maund said, “I think our team has been this way the whole entire season; fighting for every point, I’m really proud of them and the record they put together.
“Jack and Joe really came into their games this season, they got better and better, and it showed up here at Districts.”
Two years ago, Avon Grove played in what is believed to be its first-ever contest in the District 1 3A team tournament, and lost to eventual state champion Lower Merion in the first round, 3-0. Maund pointed out that the Red Devils’ wins at first and second singles Thursday was a first for the program in the district team tournament.
“This is a huge step forward for us,” said Maund. “I’m hoping that we keep moving forward (as a program). We’ve been moving forward for several years now, and it’s exciting and I hope we get some freshmen next year and keep it up.”
The Patriots now face No. 3 seed Downingtown East today (Friday) in the District 1 3A tournament quarterfinals. The Cougars defeated Downingtown West, 5-0, in their first round match Thursday.
Whoever wins the Great Valley-Downingtown East match will advance to the team semifinals Monday and wrap up a berth in the upcoming PIAA 3A state team tournament (the top five teams from the District 1 3A tourney advance to States), while the loser of the match drops back into the playback round.
The Patriots feature a couple of strong singles players in senior twins Krish and Revant Mendiratta, who combined their talents to finish second in the recent Ches-Mont American doubles tournament, and will be advancing to the District 1 3A doubles tournament.
“Krish has an all-court game, and is very athletic,” said McGrath. “Revant has a good serve, nice ground strokes, he likes to express some creativity out on the court, which is nice. They’ve been a good anchor for us at 1 and 2 singles the last few years.”
NOTES: In other local District 1 3A boys’ tennis team tournament first round action Thursday, No. 4 seed Unionville defeated 13th seed Radnor, 5-0, winning all five matches in straight sets. The Longhorns advance to play No. 5 seed Harriton today (Friday) and the winner will advance to the semifinals and clinch a berth in the upcoming PIAA 3A state tournament. Winners for Unionville were Matt Miller (first singles), Andrew Ou (second singles), Matt Farrell (third singles), the first doubles team of Ryan Megill and Jack Barrickman and the second doubles duo of Nate Butler and Andy Ye. In another local contest, No. 2 seed Conestoga defeated No. 15 seed Council Rock North, 5-0, Thursday and plays No. 10 seed Upper Dublin in the quarterfinals.

Great Valley 3, Avon Grove 2
Singles: Joe Ingram (AG) def. Krish Mendiratta (GV), 1-6, 7-5, 0-1 (retired); Jack Perlman (AG) def. Revant Mendiratta (GV), 6-2, 4-6, 10-7); Vivek Arvind (GV) def. Garrett Morris (AG), 6-0, 6-3.
Doubles: Will Otterbein/Anuj Awatramani (GV) def. Mason Walker/Collin Duff (AG), 6-1, 6-0; Josh Verano/Ishaan Joshi (GV) def. Niam Patel/Philip Boehmler (AG), 6-2, 6-1.