Magliochetti places second in 2A singles
Freedom’s 3A doubles team earns bronze medal in Hershey.
As early as the first hour of Friday’s PIAA 2A singles tennis tournament, Bethlehem Catholic coach George Harmanos recognized a few new players in the field.
“There are a few talented freshmen who weren’t here last year,” was how he described what he had seen at Hershey Racquet Club on Friday.
His star was senior Brenna Magliochetti. The defending state champion won her first two matches to earn a semifinals rematch Saturday morning with her 2017 state championship opponent, Knoch’s Laura Greb. Magliochetti defeated her 6-3, 7-5 to reach the state final again.
She encountered the best of those talented freshmen Harmanos had noticed. Lower Moreland’s Nikole Lisovyy defeated Magliochetti 6-1, 6-4.
“Brenna was up 4-3 in the second set,” said Harmanos. “If she could have gone up 5-3 I think she would have won the second set, and it would have been a different match.”
Magliochetti needed a set to adjust to Lisovyy’s talent.
“She hit with a little more pace than Brenna was used to,” said Harmanos. “She had heavy groundstrokes with heavy pace.”
Harmanos credits Magliochetti for lifting his Golden Hawks program to an elite level.
“She played in three state tournaments,” he said. “A first place and two seconds. Overall her record at states was 10-2. That’s a good record. She really transformed our program as a top player. We’re at the state tournament because of her.”
Last week Magliochetti committed to Providence College to continue her career. Lisovyy will try to repeat as champion after not losing a set in her first state tournament.
In 3A doubles, Freedom’s duo of sophomore Tashanna Smith and senior Natalie Sinai also lost to the eventual state champion.
Top-ranked Harriton High beat them 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals. Harriton then beat Methacton’s team by that same score for the gold medal.
Harriton’s Sophie Sassoli and Saige Roshkoff didn’t surrender even one game in their first-and second-round wins. In four matches — eight sets — they allowed six games.
“We played well,” said Freedom coach Mark Sigmon, “but they played a lot better. They only had seven unforced errors in two sets. They were really good.”
Historically, Freedom hasn’t had many girls tennis players match this year’s effort. The 2002 team won the state title, and Katie and Sarah Granson won doubles titles in 1995 and 1996. Katie became the Yale University head coach.
And Natalie Sinai’s older brother Andrew took third in 2011. You’d have to put this doubles team next in recent
“We played well but they played a lot better.”
— Mark Sigmon, tennis coach for Freedom High School
Patriot lore.
Especially after Smith and Sinai dispatched Shady Side Academy’s District 7 champions in the third-place contest, 6-4, 6-4, to earn a bronze medal.
They were the highlight of 2018 for Freedom, with a confidence-building epiphany thrown in.
“For me it was the fact that we got there and — other than Harriton — we’re as good as anybody in the state or better,” said Sigmon. “District 11 tennis is good.”
In Sigmon’s 11 years as head coach, Smith and Sinai advanced further than any other girl—singles, doubles or team.
Notre Dame’s doubles team was eliminated on Friday in the quarterfinals by District 10 champion Villa Maria Academy in straight sets. VMA went on to win gold, too.
Bradley A. Huebner is a freelance writer.