Who won the dual between the undefeated Cathedral Prep and Fairview girls tennis teams?
Best-of-five win aside, Rick Sertz and Mary Jean Taylor had a common interest going into Wednesday’s girls tennis dual between Fairview and Cathedral Prep.
The coaches for the Tigers (Sertz) and Ramblers (Taylor) were curious how their players would perform in such a high-stakes scenario.
Although each team was undefeated going into their initial Region 2 meeting, neither had been sincerely challenged by opponents to that point of their regular seasons.
Sertz and Taylor got the one-match margin of victory they anticipated at Fairview’s Chris Batchelor Memorial Courts.
And, in the Ramblers’ case, a 3-2 win that left them 7-0 after their region debut.
“For years, this has always been a wonderful matchup,” Taylor said. “That proved to be the case (Wednesday). All the kids for (each team) were focused, knowing this was going to be great competition.”
Mini upset not enough for Fairview
The Tigers’ initial loss left them 0-1, 8-1. They succumbed despite winning the dual’s No. 1 singles match.
Fairview sophomore Vivian Liu swept Prep senior Anna Poranski 6-2, 6-0. Poranski is District 10’s reigning two-time Class 2A singles titlist.
Liu was the lone freshman voted to last season’s all-district team.
Fairview gained its second team point when Prep’s Finleigh Handzel retired late in the second set of her No. 2 singles pairing with Hannah Nichols. Handzel received medical attention for leg cramps shortly before her decision to cede the match.
By then, though, the Ramblers were already secured the dual’s coveted third team point. Paige Patsy was a straight-sets winner in No. 3 singles, as were doubles partners Sophia Glance and Margaret Prichard, and Sofia Falvo and Lilli Beuchert.
Praises for Patsy
Paige Patsy defeated Fairview’s Mackenzee Jewell 6-1, 6-4 on a court adjacent to the match between Poranski and Liu.
Even before Wednesday, the freshman showed a sign she could be Poranski’s heir as Prep’s next great player.
Taylor started Patsy in No. 1 singles when the Ramblers faced the Erie High Royals last week. She was up for the challenge, as evidenced by her 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory vs. senior Enisa Siljkovic, who’s considered a contender to win next month’s district Class 3A singles tournament.
“I was really happy I got to play at (No. 1),” Patsy said. “I’m getting to play a lot of good players every week now, and that’s already helped me improve a lot.”
Taylor didn’t stifle her excitement regarding Patsy’s potential.
“Paige loves this game as much as life itself,” she said. “She eats, drinks and sleeps tennis. She holds herself accountable out there and she handles the stress well, which is remarkable given she’s just 14 years old.”
“Her future is bright.”
The region rematch between the Ramblers and Tigers is scheduled Sept. 28 at Prep’s Salata Tennis Complex.
District 10 high school scoreboard: Erie-area sports results, game stats, Sept. 11-16
Top Performers: Who are Erie County's Top Performers in District 10 high school sports from Sept. 11-16?
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Cathedral Prep, Fairview girls tennis teams battle to stay unbeaten
