Abington Heights, Scranton Prep repeat as District 2 girls tennis champs

WILKES-BARRE — A pair of dynastic runs in District 2 girls team tennis from a pair of Lackawanna Conference powers continued on Tuesday.

Scranton Prep held off top-seeded Wyoming Seminary to win the Class 2A district team championship, while Abington Heights was able to take down Wallenpaupack to hoist the Class 3A district title.

It was the third consecutive district title in girls tennis for Scranton Prep, which will now get to go defend its state championship from a year ago.

Abington Heights, meanwhile, collected its seventh straight district title on Tuesday, unbeaten in district tournament competition since a loss in the 2017 finals to Hazleton Area.

The Prep-Wyoming Seminary final was the fourth straight time the two schools met for a district championship, with Prep winning the last two and Seminary winning in 2021 on the way to a state title.

The Classics were able to make it a three-peat on Tuesday, with Alyssa Wigley and Emma Cuck cruising to wins in No. 2 and No. 3 singles.

The championship-clinching point came with an unfortunate injury forcing the Wyoming Seminary doubles team of Jophie Li and Kimi Li to retire in the No. 2 doubles match, awarding the match to their opponents Hannah LaCoe and Nicole Krakovich and the championship to Scranton Prep.

Krakovich and LaCoe had captured the first set 6-2, and Prep’s other doubles duo of Ella Cohen and Grace Devine was up a set when play was halted, putting the Classics in the driver’s seat.

Scranton Prep made their way back to the finals with a win over Wyoming Area in the semifinals, with three 6-0, 6-0 singles victories.

“I think our girls rose to the occasion, they all played extremely well,” said Scranton Prep head coach Kendra Croker Brunner.

Scranton Prep will head to the state tournament, starting on Oct. 22 against the District 11 champion, which has yet to be determined.

Wyoming Seminary breezed to the finals with a semifinal victory over Tunkhannock, but the top-seeded Blue Knights were toppled in the finals for their first District 2 loss of the year.

Ilana Rosenthal won the first set of her No. 1 singles match against Scranton Prep’s Lily Lengyel 6-0, and had a 5-3 lead in the second set before play was halted.

Rosenthal will look to singles competition next, with the District 2 girls tournament starting on Friday. The senior standout is not only the two-time defending District 2 champ, but a two-time defending PIAA champion as well.

“She’s ready anytime, anywhere …t he go is there, no matter what,” Wyoming Seminary coach Raphael Cooper said of Rosenthal. “I get one last year to watch her do her magic, and I hope she’s successful.”

The Comets, seeded second in the Class 3A field, first defeated Delaware Valley in the semifinals before turning away Wallenpaupack to bring home a seventh straight district title.

Wallenpaupack, the fourth seed, fought its way through to the finals by taking out top-seeded Crestwood in the semifinals, but the Buckhorns couldn’t end Abington Heights’ reign atop the district.

Susan Arp and Sona Hanumali got the ball rolling for Abington Heights with straight-set victories in the first two singles matches.

The clincher came from Mary Booth and Samantha Rosenstein, the Comets’ No. 1 doubles team, who took Victoria Latek and Cadance Danelski 6-3, 6-3 to seal the deal.

“It’s really fun to see the girls playing well and working hard,” Abington Heights coach Kelly Arp said. “They love playing together, and these girls have grown together as players every year, little by little.”

Abington Heights will open up the Class 3A state tournament on Oct. 22 against the second-place team from District 3.

District 2 Class 2A

Girls Tennis Championship

Scranton Prep 3, Wyoming Seminary 0

Singles — 1. Ilana Rosenthal (SEM) led Lily Lengyel 6-0, 5-3; 2. Alyssa Wigley (SP) def. Addison Priebe 6-0, 6-2; 3. Emma Cuck (SP) def. Elisabeth Moules 6-0, 6-2.

Doubles — 1. Ella Cohen/Grace Devine (SP) led Lizzie Weaver/Cecilia Pons 7-5, 1-0; 2. Hannah LaCoe/Nicole Krakovich (SP) def. Jophie Li/Kimi Li 6-2, 2-1 (retired, injury).

District 2 Class 3A

Girls Tennis Championship

Abington Heights 3, Wallenpaupack 0

Singles — 1. Susan Arp (AH) def. Sarah Niemiec 6-0, 6-3; 2. Sona Hanumali (AH) def. Alaina Burke 6-2, 6-3; 3. Amishi Amit (AH) led Olivia Kogan 7-6 (8).

Doubles — 1. Mary Booth/Samantha Rosenstein (AH) def. Victoria Latek/Cadance Danelski 6-3, 6-3; 2. Bernie Mullin/Jenna Follansbee (AH) led Soleil Wright/Samira Feller 6-4, 5-1.

Class 2A Semifinals

Wyoming Seminary 3, Tunkhannock 0

Singles — 1. Ilana Rosenthal (SEM) def. Molly Keiser 6-0, 6-0; 2. Addison Priebe (SEM) led Addy Pineau 6-2, 4-0; 3. Elisabeth Moules (SEM) led Tal Pineau 6-2, 1-0.

Doubles — 1. Lizzie Weaver/Cecilia Pons (SEM) def. Miranda Anderson/Ivy Jayne 6-0, 6-0; 2. Jophie Li/Kimi Li (SEM) def. Zoe Powers/Sarah Appleby 6-0, 6-2.

Scranton Prep 3, Wyoming Area 0

Singles — 1. Lily Lengyel (SP) def. Emma Kratz 6-0, 6-0; 2. Alyssa Wigley (SP) def. Molly Kratz 6-0, 6-0; 3. Emma Cuck (SP) def. Sarah Williams 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles — 1. Ella Cohen/Grace Devine (SP) led Erica Gilligan/Selena Nova 6-1, 3-0; 2. Hannah LaCoe/Nicole Krakovich (SP) led Natalie Leibman/Lily Kasa 6-1, 1-0.

Class 3A Semifinals

Wallenpaupack 3, Crestwood 0

Singles — 1. Hannah Ziegler (CRE) led Sarah Niemiec 6-4, 5-1; 2. Alaina Burke (WAL) def. Camerone Carlos 6-0, 6-1; 3. Olivia Kogan (WAL) led Ella Richards 6-1, 4-4.

Doubles — 1. Victoria Latek/Cadance Danelski (WAL) def. Paicey Clower/Darin Khuseyn 6-1, 6-1; 2. Soleil Wright/Samira Feller (WAL) def. Kendall Petrosky/Lucy Malia 6-1, 6-1.

Abington Heights 3, Delaware Valley 0

Singles — 1. Susan Arp (AH) vs. Noelle Holderith 6-3, 3-6; 2. Sona Hanumali (AH) def. Jessica Willson 6-3, 6-0; 3. Ceanna Williams (DV) led Amishi Amit 6-0, 3-4.

Doubles — 1. Mary Booth/Samantha Rosenstein (AH) def. Kate Tamplin/Emma Strickler 6-0, 6-0; 2. Bernie Mullin/Jenna Follansbee (AH) def. Michelle Zakharova/Ava Capeci 6-1, 6-4.