Shady Side Academy’s Meriwether McCargo wins epic WPIAL tennis final; Belle Vernon’s Gabby Dusi repeats in 2A

By: Paul Schofield
Thursday, September 19, 2024 | 6:34 PM

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It’s hard to imagine a better WPIAL Class 3A girls tennis championship match.

Shady Side Academy sophomore Meriwether McCargo and Penn-Trafford junior Mia Williams put on an epic battle Thursday that lasted more than two and half hours.

When it was over, it was McCargo outlasting Williams, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) for a second consecutive win against Williams and a gold medal.

In Class 2A, Belle Vernon sophomore Gabby Dusi breezed to her second consecutive title with a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Hampton junior Grace Stitt.

McCargo and Dusi became the 19th and 20th girls to win at least two titles. Only Knoch’s Laura Greb (2017-2020) has won four titles, and eight others are three-time winners.

McCargo and Williams battled back and forth during the final set. After each began the set holding serve, the duo went 10 straight games not holding serve.

Williams, the 2022 champion, was serving for match point three separate times and McCargo found a win to win.

“I thought I was going to lose,” McCargo said. “But I stayed consistent and found a way. Once I was able to tie the match at 5-all and 6-all, it gave me a boost. That was the turning point and made me play better.”

Finally in the tiebreaker, McCargo was able to go up 2-0. Williams, thanks to a service ace, grabbed a 4-3 lead.

McCargo served two points to go up 5-4 before Williams evened it at 5-all.

McCargo won the final two points to earn the win.

A disappointed Williams praised McCargo.

“She’s a good player,” Williams said. “She would just get the ball back and did very well. I went for it. I attacked, which is what I do, and it just did not work out.

“But you know, I played really good the past two days. It is definitely an improvement on last year’s performance. I just need to keep playing my game and work out some things.”

McCargo defeated Williams 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 in 2023. This match was very different.

“Winning a second title makes me proud of myself, especially because the person I beat is a really good player,” McCargo said. “The first set wasn’t really close, but I lost focus for like four games in the second set, and it gave her a lot of confidence and she played a lot better.

“But in the end, it was my consistency that was the difference. I just had to make sure I was keeping the ball deep and I waited for her to make mistakes. A lot of people do not like her ball because it’s so spinny, but I actually like playing someone like that.”

McCargo, Williams and Bethel Park sophomore Cami Fisher, who defeated Shady Side Academy sophomore Brooke Henderson in the third-place match, are heading to Hershey next month for the PIAA tournament.

Dusi, meanwhile, had no problem for the second consecutive season. She dominated Stitt from the start.

“It feels really good and it’s special,” Dusi said. “My offense is my strength. I am able to put my opponents on the defensive and able to come in and attack the short ball.”

Stitt will attest to Dusi’s strength.

“She’s pretty tough,” Stitt said. “She just wouldn’t let me up and she’s a great player. I felt like my feet weren’t fast enough to get to her shots.

“I thought I was playing some of my best tennis, but obviously she’s really talented.”

Dusi, Stitt and Beaver junior Anna Mrkonja will be headed to PIAAs in Class 2A. Mrkonja defeated Sasha Hoffman of Greensburg Central Catholic in the third-place match, 6-2, 7-6 (5).

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Hampton, Penn-Trafford, Shady Side Academy