M&M took over Hershey this weekend.
Forget a battle of candy giants, the giants at Hershey Racquet Club Saturday were Spring-Ford seniors Mia Matriccino and Evelyn Mejia, who claimed the PIAA Class 3A doubles championship.
Matriccino and Mejia captured the second state championship of their high school careers by defeating Council Rock South’s Michelle Lerman and Anya Zubenko in the state final, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
The Rams’ pair bookended their high school careers after taking part in Spring-Ford’s PIAA team title as freshmen, Matriccino playing as the No. 1 singles player and Mejia a part of the No. 2 doubles pairing.
Matriccino and Mejia entered the state tournament as the third-place finishers from District 1, having lost to Lerman and Zubenko in the District 1 semifinals, 6-2, 6-3.
Two weeks later, they reversed the result, completing a run to the championship without dropping a set.
A nerve wracking final full of breathtaking points ends in a 7-6(7-5), 6-3 State Championship for Evelyn and Mia. We are so incredibly proud of their focus, toughness and determination throughout the whole tournament. Well done! pic.twitter.com/qkoYSyD7ee
— Spring-Ford Tennis (@SF_GirlsTennis) November 4, 2023
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Matriccino and Mejia opened their tournament with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Hollidaysburg’s Crosby Dani and Megan Ferris, then rolled District 3 champions Kaelyn Balko and Allison Horick of New Oxford, 6-1, 6-1, on Friday.
On Saturday, the Spring-Ford duo handled District 1 runners-up Kate Emmauel and Jennifer He of Conestoga, 6-3, 6-1, in the semifinals for a spot in the title match.
Matriccino was a semifinalist in 2022 in singles. A college visit commitment forced the three-time Pioneer Athletic Conference singles championship to opt out of singles postseason play, opening the door for her to compete in doubles, which follows a different postseason schedule.
She and partner Mejia could not have asked for a better outcome.
Also competing in Hershey over the weekend was Methacton senior Hana Nouaime, who was a state doubles champion the past two years with Alice Li.
Nouaime, this year playing singles, suffered a first-round exit to District 11 champion Helena Lynn of Liberty, 6-2, 6-3.
Unionville senior Grace Li captured her second straight PIAA 3A singles title, defeating Central Mountain freshman Addison Lindsay, 7-5, 6-0, in the final.
