OK, the smoke cleared from the first of the three clashes of the top three teams in the Lackawanna League.
Funny how in these intense matches, they so often come down to the doubles teams that sometimes get overshadowed by the outstanding efforts of the singles players in the regular season.
Abington Heights edged previously undefeated Riverside in a battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the ON THE BLOG ranking.
Lady Comets win showdown
NEWTON TWP. – In a tennis match filled with star power, a doubles team stole the spotlight.
Elina Joshi and Bernie Mullin rallied from a set down, converted critical points, and earned a hard-fought win over Madelynn Perfilio and Paige Olanovich to lift Abington Heights to a 3-2 win over Riverside in a Lackawanna League showdown Tuesday between undefeated teams.
“Throughout the whole match, I was pretty stressed out,” Joshi said. “It’s great that we won. We both worked so hard together. We toughed it out on a lot of shots. Especially the critical points and we had great team work.
“I am grateful for Bernie’s encouragement throughout the match, her great shots and her enthusiasm.”
Abington Heights also received wins from Susan Arp at No. 3 singles and from the team of Faith Bennett and Hanna Adonizio at No. 1 doubles to improve to 10-0 this season. It clinched the victory when Joshi-Mullin won in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in a tense match that took almost two hours to complete.
So, that certainly shook things up in the Lackawanna League.
It also set up the annual rivalry match as Scranton Prep visits Abington Heights on Tuesday.
 |
 |
|
|
1-CLASSICS |
2-LADY COMETS |
|
SCRANTON PREP |
Records |
ABINGTON HEIGHTS |
Records |
|
|
Annie Johnson |
8–1 |
No. 1 |
Bella Peters |
10–1 |
|
Alyssa Wigley |
10–0 |
No. 2 |
Rina Hanumali |
10–1 |
|
Leelah Farrell |
9–0 |
No. 3 |
Susan Arp |
9–0 |
WHAT’S AHEAD
Don’t count out Riverside just yet. It will need some help if it wants to earn a Lackawanna League title. If Scranton Prep defeats Abington Heights, it sets up Thursday’s match that could send the standings into a three-way tie. And in the Lackawanna League, teams decide the champion — when possible — on the court.
SEPT. 30
Riverside at Scranton Prep
TOP 5 TEAMS
With Abington Heights’ win, there is a new No. 1 team, of course. The Lady Comets take over the top spot in the poll. Scranton Prep climbed one spot to No. 2. Riverside tumbled to No. 3. North Pocono, which lost to Abington Heights last week, is still No. 4 and West Scranton stays at No. 5. All of them are headed to the District 2 Team Championship playoffs.
|
RANK |
TEAM |
RECORD |
|
|
1 |
 |
Abington Heights Lady Comets |
11—0 |
|
2 |
|
Scranton Prep Classics |
10—0 |
|
3 |
 |
Riverside Lady Vikes |
8—1 |
|
4 |
 |
North Pocono Lady Trojans |
7—3 |
|
5 |
 |
West Scranton Lady Invaders |
6—3 |
LEAGUE RESULTS
|
ABINGTON HEIGHTS |
DELAWARE VALLEY |
DUNMORE |
HOLY CROSS |
|
Delaware Valley, W 5-0 |
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
West Scranton, L 5-0 |
Honesdale, W 4-1 |
|
West Scranton, W 5-0 |
Honesdale, W 3-2 |
Wallenpaupack, L 5-0 |
Scranton Prep, L 4-1 |
|
Western Wayne, W 5-0 |
West Scranton, L 5-0 |
Scranton Prep, L 5-0 |
Valley View, W 4-1 |
|
Honesdale, W 5-0 |
Scranton Prep, L 5-0 |
Riverside, L 5-0 |
North Pocono, L 5-0 |
|
Valley View, W 5-0 |
Mid Valley, W 3-2 |
Scranton, L 5-0 |
Riverside, L 4-1 |
|
Wallenpaupack, W 5-0 |
Wallenpaupack, L 4-1 |
North Pocono, L 5-0 |
Scranton, W 4-1 |
|
Montrose, W 4-1 |
Montrose, W 5-0 |
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
|
Dunmore, W 5-0 |
Dunmore, W 5-1 |
Delaware Valley, L 5-0 |
Montrose, W 5-0 |
|
Holy Cross, W 5-0 |
Scranton, W 4-1 |
Honesdale, L 5-0 |
Delaware Valley, W 4-1 |
|
Riverside, W 3-2 |
Holy Cross, L 4-1 |
||
|
North Pocono, W 5-0 |
|
HONESDALE |
MID VALLEY |
MONTROSE |
NORTH POCONO |
|
Holy Cross, L 4-1 |
North Pocono, L 5-0 |
Wallenpaupack, L 5-0 |
Mid Valley, W 5-0 |
|
Scranton Prep, L 5-0 |
Scranton, W 3-2 |
North Pocono, L 5-0 |
Montrose, W 5-0 |
|
Delaware Valley, L 3-2 |
Montrose, W 4-1 |
Mid Valley, L 4-1 |
Riverside, L 3-2 |
|
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
Honesdale, W 3-2 |
Western Wayne, L 3-2 |
West Scranton, W 3-2 |
|
Mid Valley, L 3-2 |
Delaware Valley, L 3-2 |
Valley View, L 5-0 |
Holy Cross, W 5-0 |
|
West Scranton, L 5-0 |
Valley View, L 5-0 |
Abington Heights, L 4-1 |
Scranton Prep, L 4-1 |
|
Scranton, L 3-2 |
Scranton Prep, L 5-0 |
Delaware Valley, L 5-0 |
Dunmore, W 5-0 |
|
Valley View, L 4-1 |
Wallenpaupack, L 4-1 |
Riverside, L 4-1 |
Western Wayne, W 5-0 |
|
Dunmore, W 5-0 |
Western Wayne, W 4-1 |
Holy Cross, L 5-0 |
Scranton, W 5-0 |
|
Montrose, W 4-1 |
Honesdale, L 4-1 |
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
|
RIVERSIDE |
SCRANTON |
SCRANTON PREP |
VALLEY VIEW |
|
Western Wayne, W 4-0 |
Mid Valley, L 3-2 |
Holy Cross, W 4-1 |
Scranton, W 3-2 |
|
North Pocono, W 3-2 |
Valley View, L 3-2 |
Honesdale, W 5-0 |
Holy Cross, L 4-1 |
|
Scranton, W 5-0 |
Riverside, L 5-0 |
Dunmore, W 5-0 |
Western Wayne, W 4-1 |
|
Wallenpaupack, W 3-2 |
West Scranton, L 5-0 |
North Pocono, W 4-1 |
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
|
Dunmore, W 5-0 |
Dunmore, W 5-0 |
Delaware Valley, W 5-0 |
Montrose, W 5-0 |
|
Holy Cross, W 4-1 |
Honesdale, W 3-2 |
Wallenpaupack, W 4-1 |
Mid Valley, W 5-0 |
|
West Scranton, W 5-0 |
Holy Cross, L 4-1 |
Mid Valley, W 5-0 |
Honesdale, W 4-1 |
|
Montrose, W 4-1 |
North Pocono, L 5-0 |
Western Wayne, W 5-0 |
West Scranton, L 5-0 |
|
Abington Heights, L 3-2 |
Delaware Valley, L 4-1 |
Valley View, W 5-0 |
Scranton Prep, L 5-0 |
|
Scranton Prep, L 5-0 |
Scranton, W 5-0 |
|
WALLENPAUPACK |
WEST SCRANTON |
WESTERN WAYNE |
|
Montrose, W 5-0 |
Dunmore, W 5-0 |
Riverside, L 4-0 |
|
Dunmore, W 5-0 |
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
|
Riverside, L 5-0 |
North Pocono, L 3-2 |
Valley View, L 4-1 |
|
Abington Heights, L 5-0 |
Scranton, W 5-0 |
Montrose, W 3-2 |
|
Scranton Prep, L 4-1 |
Delaware Valley, W 5-0 |
North Pocono, L 5-0 |
|
Delaware Valley, W 4-1 |
Honesdale, W 5-0 |
Scranton Prep, L 5-0 |
|
Mid Valley, W 4-1 |
Riverside, L 5-0 |
Mid Valley, L 4-1 |
|
West Scranton, L 5-0 |
Valley View, W 5-0 |
Wallenpaupack, L 3-2 |
|
Western Wayne, W 3-2 |
Wallenpaupack, W 5-0 |
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
TODAY
Western Wayne at Holy Cross
Dunmore at Mid Valley
TUESDAY
2-Scranton Prep at 1-Abington Heights
Scranton at Wallenpaupack
Honesdale at 3-Riverside
Montrose at 5-West Scranton
4-North Pocono at Delaware Valley
Dunmore at Western Wayne
Mid Valley at Holy Cross
WEDNESDAY
3-Riverside at Valley View
THURSDAY
3-Riverside at 2-Scranton Prep
Montrose at Scranton
4-North Pocono at Wallenpaupack
Honesdale at Western Wayne
Mid Valley at 5-West Scranton
Valley View at Delaware Valley
Dunmore at Holy Cross
DISTRICT 2
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dates:
- Friday, October 8th (First Round if necessary)
- Tuesday, October 12th (Quarterfinals)
- Thursday, October 14th (Semifinals and Finals) at Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre.
- Class 2A Semifinals: 11 a.m.
- Class 3A Semifinals: 12:30 p.m.
First Round on Friday, October 8th (if necessary – only if more than 8 qualify)
STANDINGS
(Courtesy piaad2.org)
CLASS 3A
| 3A | School | W | L | T | Rating | TWP | OWP | Games Sch(Left) |
| 1 | Abington Heights | 11- | 0- | 0 | 0.772497 | 1.000000 | 0.445113 | 14(3) |
| 2 | Crestwood | 7- | 1- | 0 | 0.680822 | 0.867089 | 0.412780 | 12(4) |
| 3 | North Pocono | 7- | 3- | 0 | 0.611943 | 0.691919 | 0.496855 | 14(4) |
| 4 | West Scranton | 6- | 3- | 0 | 0.611576 | 0.670391 | 0.526940 | 14(5) |
| 5 | Wallenpaupack | 6- | 4- | 0 | 0.542347 | 0.595960 | 0.465198 | 15(5) |
| 6 | Delaware Valley | 5- | 6- | 0 | 0.461260 | 0.451163 | 0.475791 | 15(4) |
| 7 | Hazleton Area | 5- | 5- | 0 | 0.441233 | 0.490291 | 0.370637 | 14(4) |
| 8 | Pittston Area | 3- | 6- | 0 | 0.371255 | 0.325967 | 0.436426 | 13(4) |
| 9 | SCRANTON | 2- | 8- | 0 | 0.339900 | 0.190000 | 0.555611 | 14(4) |
| 10 | Wyoming Valley West | 1- | 7- | 0 | 0.297149 | 0.128049 | 0.540487 | 12(4) |
| 11 | Wilkes-Barre | 0- | 9- | 0 | 0.214875 | 0.000000 | 0.524086 | 12(3) |
CLASS 2A
|
TOP PLAYERS
Riverside’s Karissa Ghigiarelli won her singles match against Abington Heights’ Bella Peters in straight sets in the big team showdown. She continues to pad her remarkable resume in both the league and in District 2. Her career record is now 74-1 with her only loss coming in the PIAA Class 2A tournament in her freshman season. Riverside’s Madeline De Faber-Schumacher also posted an impressive win against Abington Heights’s Rina Hanumali that pushed her to No. 2 in the ranking. Peters is at No. 3 and Scranton Prep freshman Alyssa Wigley moves to No. 4. Wigley faces Peters on Tuesday.
TOP 8 PLAYERS
|
RANK |
PLAYER |
RECORD |
|
|
1 |
|
Karissa Ghigiarelli | RIVERSIDE |
9–0 |
|
2 |
|
Madeline De Faber-Schumacher | RIVERSIDE |
9–0 |
|
3 |
|
Bella Peters | ABINGTON HEIGHTS |
10–1 |
|
4 |
|
Alyssa Wigley | SCRANTON PREP |
10–0 |
|
5 |
|
Rina Hanumali | ABINGTON HEIGHTS |
10–1 |
|
6 |
|
Annie Johnson | SCRANTON PREP |
9–1 |
|
7 |
|
Julie Schriver | NORTH POCONO |
7–3 |
|
8 |
|
Susan Arp | ABINGTON HEIGHTS |
9–0 |
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Leelah Farrell (SP), Bella Aniska (RIV).
SINGLES LEAGUE RECORDS
|
ABINGTON HEIGHTS |
DELAWARE VALLEY |
DUNMORE |
|||
|
Bella Peters |
10–1 |
Sierra Hartmann |
4–6 |
Hannah Albano |
0–9 |
|
Rina Hanumali |
10–1 |
Viktoria Sioreti |
0–1 |
Olivia Santarsiero |
0–9 |
|
Faith Bennett |
1–0 |
Noelle Holderith |
6–4 |
Maggie Jimmie |
0–1 |
|
Susan Arp |
9–0 |
Mikayla Courtright |
4–4 |
Brynn Kochis |
0–8 |
|
Paige Watt |
0–1 |
Jessica Wilson |
0–1 |
||
|
HOLY CROSS |
HONESDALE |
MID VALLEY |
|||
|
Caitlin Bestricky |
5–4 |
Hannah Merritt |
2–8 |
Katie Glinsky |
4–3 |
|
Christina Monroe |
4–5 |
Alexi Pinto |
1–8 |
Kiralynn Blank |
4–5 |
|
Maddy Kranson |
5–4 |
Jocelyn DeNoie |
5–4 |
Katrina Ricci |
3–6 |
|
Mandy Grosman |
0–1 |
Makenzi McDermott |
1–1 |
||
|
MONTROSE |
NORTH POCONO |
RIVERSIDE |
|||
|
Annabelle Adams |
0–10 |
Julie Schriver |
7–3 |
Karissa Ghigiarelli |
9–0 |
|
Olivia Aukema |
2–6 |
Maddie Schriver |
6–4 |
Madeline De Faber-Schumacher |
9–0 |
|
Paley Adams |
0–5 |
Parri Salak |
6–4 |
Bella Aniska |
8–1 |
|
Hayley Packer |
1–5 |
||||
|
SCRANTON |
SCRANTON PREP |
VALLEY VIEW |
|||
|
Maia Philbin |
5–5 |
Annie Johnson |
8–1 |
Grace Lennox |
4–5 |
|
Julia Bergman |
4–5 |
Alyssa Wigley |
10–0 |
Carly Bossick |
3–6 |
|
Teishree Patel |
1–8 |
Leelah Farrell |
9–0 |
Ava Santarelli |
5–4 |
|
Dhruvi Shah |
0–1 |
Gisele Falzone |
1–0 |
||
|
Ignacia Ang |
0–1 |
Ella Cohen |
1–0 |
||
|
WALLENPAUPACK |
WEST SCRANTON |
WESTERN WAYNE |
|||
|
Rebecca Husson |
4–5 |
Gabrielle Chantiloupe |
6–2 |
Ava Compton |
1–7 |
|
Erika Badnar |
3–4 |
Madison Maloney |
8–1 |
Rachel Tuman |
2–5 |
|
Frankie Toppi |
5–4 |
Mia Butka |
8–1 |
McKencie Laity |
0–3 |
|
Lili Elgayer |
0–2 |
Camilla Sphabmixay |
0–1 |
Stevie Wilkinson |
1–4 |
DISTRICT 2
SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dates:
- Saturday, October 16th
- Class 2A – First three rounds 8:30 a.m. at Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre
- Class 3A – First three rounds at North Pocono Middle School, Moscow
- Monday, October 18th at 1 p.m. at Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre
- Semifinals and Finals
DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dates:
- Saturday, October 23th
- Class 2A – First three rounds 8:30 a.m. at Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre
- Class 3A – First three rounds 8:30 a.m. at North Pocono Middle School, Moscow
- Monday, October 25th at 1 P.M.at Kirby Park, Wilkes Barre
- Semifinals and Finals
Joby Fawcett has covered high school sports — including football, girls and boys volleyball, girls and boys tennis, girls and boys swimming, boys basketball, girls and boys track and field, and girls and boys lacrosse — for 22 years. The High School Sports Blog offers deeper insights plus statistical and historical information for fans and features photos, videos and graphics along with Top 5 polls for tennis and volleyball. Contact: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5367; @sportsTT
