James returns to lineup, gives Fox Chapel big boost
Charlotte James did quite a bit of soul searching last year and opted to play circuit tennis rather than compete in her junior year at Fox Chapel.
She added a caveat that, if she got the results she hoped for, she would return to the Foxes for her senior year.
True to her word, James is back at Fox Chapel this year and ready to take over her slot as the team’s No. 1 singles player.
“I think it was definitely necessary for my development as a player and to get me experience in highlevel tournaments, which I think is vital if I want to be successful in college,” James said. “I think it was the right thing to do, but I’m happy to be returning this year. I love playing for the team.”
James never really left Fox Chapel and took her core courses on campus and other classes online. That allowed her to interact with her friends and teammates while still training and going to tournaments outside of varsity competition.
As a high school player, James is a two- time WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A doubles champion, is currently ranked as the No. 2 senior in the state and No. 1 in her class in the WPIAL. Because of her rank and history, James could be considered an early favorite to win her first WPIAL singles title.
“I try not to put any expectations on myself because of that,” James said. “I just want to enjoy playing for the team and see what happens.”
Because of all the tennis she played while traversing the country in various tournaments, she got to see some of the nation’s best players in her age group. Despite that, she still missed the camaraderie of her Fox Chapel teammates.
“I missed it a lot,” James said. “I have a lot of good friends on the team and it’s a lot of fun playing for [ Coach Alex] Slezak and representing my school. I was sad to miss it, but I knew it was what I needed to do.”
Having James back is a huge boon to the Fox Chapel team, which is seeking its first title since 2004. Last year, the Foxes went into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, but were ousted on their home court in the first round by Mars.
As has been the case in recent years, every school in the WPIAL will be chasing North Allegheny, which will enter the season as the six- time defending team champion. This year, though, the team won’t have the distractions it had to open 2018 when No. 1 singles player Ava Catanzarite sat out with a shoulder injury and later opted to train in Florida and Rebekah Rest took the same path as James and decided to skip her junior year in favor of playing a travel schedule.
One of the upsides of the late roster changes was that the Tigers could play a lot of younger players, who gained valuable experience heading into this year.
“We have seven girls back this year and five of them started for us last year,” North Allegheny coach Michelle Weniger said. “It’s really nice not to have the drama because it’s exhausting and it really takes your focus away from the team and coaching. But if you coach long enough things are going to happen and it’s rare you go through a season without something happening.”
Class 2A
Laura Greb became the first player from Knoch to win the WPIAL Class 2A singles championship when she defeated then- defending champion Katherine Marks of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 2017.
Last year, she became the first to defend a crown in the classification since Cate Stewart of Quaker Valley won three in a row from 2005- 07.
This season, Greb will once again be the early favorite to win the title and, if she does, will equal Stewart’s three- peat feat.
“I guess it puts some pressure on me to live up to that,” Greb said. “I think it will be fun.”
Once again, Greb may have her toughest challenge coming from inside the Knoch program as junior Brooke Bauer, who was the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL tournament a year ago, also returns.
While Knoch may be loaded at singles, Sewickley Academy is the two- time defending team champion and beat the Knights in the finals last year. The Panthers were a sophomoreladen team in 2018 led by WPIAL singles runner- up Simran Bedi and could be the team to beat once again.