Bethel Park, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) held its 2026 WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Tennis Doubles Championships on Wednesday and Thursday, October 7–8, with all championship and consolation matches taking place Thursday at Bethel Park High School.
Mackenzie Smock and Cassie Sierka made history by becoming the first Class 3A girls’ doubles pairing to win a WPIAL championship on their home court. The second-seeded Hawks capped their tournament with a straight-set victory over top-seeded Shady Side Academy juniors Cassie Lapina and Alex Merkel, 6-1, 6-1.
In Class 2A, Evelyn Marche and Macaria Stall secured North Catholic’s first WPIAL girls’ tennis doubles championship with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Neshannock sisters Madalyn and Sydne Arrow. The top-seeded pair held off a strong challenge in the opening set before pulling away to claim the title.
Shady Side Academy’s Merkel added another runner-up finish to her résumé, marking her third time finishing second in the WPIAL girls’ tennis doubles championships.
The top three finishers in both Class 2A and Class 3A qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Girls’ Tennis Doubles Championships, scheduled for November 6–7 at Hershey Racquet Club.
CLASS 3A RECAP
Bethel Park seniors Mackenzie Smock and Cassie Sierka captured the Class 3A championship with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Shady Side Academy juniors Cassie Lapina and Alex Merkel. The second-seeded Hawks delivered a dominant performance throughout the tournament, earning the championship on their home court and making history as the first Class 3A doubles team to win a WPIAL title at its home school.
Lapina and Merkel, the top seed, reached the championship match after advancing through the bracket and defeating third-seeded North Allegheny juniors Mia Kaufman and Samantha Leeman, 6-0, 6-2, in the semifinals. Despite falling short in the final, Merkel secured her third career runner-up finish in the WPIAL girls’ tennis doubles championships.
Kaufman and Leeman rebounded to claim third place, defeating fifth-seeded Upper St. Clair seniors Catalina Ramirez and Lily Angus, 6-2, 6-3, in the consolation match.
Smock and Sierka, Lapina and Merkel, and Kaufman and Leeman earned berths in the PIAA Girls’ Tennis Doubles Championships at Hershey Racquet Club on November 6–7.
CLASS 2A RECAP
North Catholic juniors Evelyn Marche and Macaria Stall captured the Class 2A championship, defeatingthe Neshannock duo of Madalyn Arrow and Sydney Arrow, 7-6 (5), 6-2. The top-seeded pair secured North Catholic’s first WPIAL girls’ tennis doubles title in school history, finishing the tournament with a championship performance against the ttwo-seeded Lancers.
The Arrow sisters advanced to the final after navigating the bracket and earning a spot in the championship match. The Neshannock pair settled for silver following the two-set defeat.
In the third-place consolation match, third-seeded Winchester Thurston sister duo of Fiona and Camila Kamin defeated third-seeded fourth-seeded Mt. Pleasant seniors Ryleigh Drzal and Danica Trainer, 6-2, 6-3, to secure the final Class 2A PIAA qualifying spot.
Marche and Stall, Arrow and Arrow, and Kamin and Kamin qualified for the PIAA Girls’ Tennis Doubles Championships, which will be held November 6–7 at Hershey Racquet Club.