Wexford, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) hosted its second tennis championships of the 2025-26 season on Wednesday and Thursday at the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Tennis Doubles Championships.

In Class 3A, it was a repeat performance, as Jackie Tang and Michelle Yang won gold for the second consecutive year. In Class 2A, Veronica Zinski and Marann Buckanovich of Winchester Thurston captured gold in a thrilling comeback match.
Tang and Yang claimed the 15th girls’ tennis doubles championship in Mt. Lebanon history, the most all-time in WPIAL history. They are the first Class 3A pair to repeat since 2020, when Kat Wang and Marra Bruce won back-to-back titles for Peters Township.

Zinski and Buckanovich made history as the first doubles champions in Winchester Thurston history.
 
Class 3A Recap
The Mt. Lebanon duo defended their title in a rematch of last year’s final, defeating the Shady Side Academy pair of Brooke Henderson and Alex Merkel, 7-6 (2), 6-2. The top-seeded Blue Devils opened the tournament on Wednesday with wins over pairs from Franklin Regional (10-1), Fox Chapel (10-3), and Bethel Park (6-2, 6-1) before bringing home the gold on Thursday afternoon.

The second-seeded duo of Henderson and Merkel advanced through their side of the bracket but nearly fell in the second round, narrowly escaping with an 11-10 (4) win over Sara Telang and Brianna Kuczinski of Upper St. Clair. In the semifinals, they defeated another Upper St. Clair duo, Catalina Ramirez and Leila Hamade, 6-3, 6-3, to set up the rematch.

In the third-place consolation match, Mackenzie Smock and Hadley Murello of Bethel Park defeated Ramirez and Hamade, 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-1, to earn a spot in the state championships.
 
Class 2A Recap
Top-seeded Zinski and Buckanovich began their title run with victories over North Catholic (10-2) and Quaker Valley (6-3, 6-0), setting up a final showdown against the second-seeded North Catholic duo of Evelyn Marche and Macaria Stall. After dropping the first set 0-6, the Winchester Thurston pair rallied to win the next two sets, 7-5, 6-1, to capture the championship.

In the third-place match, Madalyn Arrow and Giada Cappabianco of Neshannock defeated the Quaker Valley team of Jane Lenhard and Kate Miller, 6-1, 6-2, securing their place in the state championships.

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