After strong start, Valley boys tennis chasing section championship

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 | 2:47 PM

Purchase Photo Options

The Valley boys tennis team already has clinched a spot in the WPIAL Class 2A team playoffs, which are set to begin May 1.

But veteran coach Rachel Link said her Vikings players, who improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in Section 1 on Monday with a 3-2 victory over previously undefeated Indiana, are not satisfied with what they’ve achieved over the past several weeks.

“We entered this season with the pure expectation to grow as players, and most importantly, to continue to love playing this awesome lifelong sport,” she said.

“Every day that we train and before every competition, we talk about being mentally fit — playing smart, thoughtful tennis — that in this sport, you’re going to make mistakes and sometimes the tide of tennis inevitably isn’t going to flow our way. But exactly just like in life, you have to pause, evaluate your errors and work with all your heart to fix them, which they have done during every single match.”

Valley, paced at the top by seniors Nick Bussard and Dylan Gentile at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively, and senior Ethan Harclerode at No. 1 doubles, hopes to keep things rolling Thursday when it travels to Greensburg Salem for a 3:30 p.m. section contest.

The section finale is April 20 at Kiski Area.

The Vikings seek a section title this spring after finishing runner-up to North Catholic last year. They then lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to Mars in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Bussard, who made it to the quarterfinals of Tuesday’s WPIAL singles tournament, said the team is focused and on a mission.

“We just work hard every day in practice,” he said. “Everybody shows up ready to go. We want to build every day because we have goals we want to achieve. The younger guys coming up are hungry to get their wins. We want to maintain our success that we’ve had in recent years.”

Valley opened section play March 20 with a close 3-2 victory over Latrobe. The Vikings followed that up with 5-0 triumphs over Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland.

The match at Southmoreland on March 27 was an emotional one for Link as she received news during the match that shook her to her core.

“Standing on a hill coaching my team, I found out my spouse was diagnosed with cancer,” she said.

“As I made my way back to the courts with a broken heart, a parent out of the blue walked over and put his arm around me and told me he is so grateful his son found our tennis family. The coach needed her tennis family, and her tennis family helped soothe her broken heart.

“That’s the theme of our season. We are a Viking Tennis Family. We celebrate and take care of each other.”

The players rallied around each other against Indiana.

Gentile was forced to default in his No. 2 singles match because of injury. He also battled through injury at the section singles tournament two weeks ago and placed fourth overall.

Freshman Tyler Quinn and sophomore Jake Ervin were not able to get the win in a 6-4, 6-4 loss at No. 2 doubles.

But Bussard picked up a two-set victory at No. 1 singles, sophomore Landon Harclerode swept his way to a win at No. 3 singles and Ethan Harclerode teamed with fellow senior Zach Doran to post a 6-2, 6-4 triumph at No. 1 doubles.

Ethan Harclerode, in just his second year of competitive tennis, said he’s excited for his progress as well as the team’s progress.

“Coach Link pulled me aside in school and asked if I would consider playing tennis because the team was a little undermanned,” he said.

“I decided to give it a try, and I fell in love with it. I played with (Washington & Jefferson freshman) Nate Clarke last year, and he mentored me. He helped me a lot with my ground strokes at the baseline. He also taught me to be aggressive at the net, which is my main focal point now.”

Link said Landon Harclerode, undefeated in section play, filled a key gap in the lineup at No. 3 singles with the graduation of Dario Wolfe from last year’s team.

“Landon is an unbelievable athlete, and he has learned the intricacies of singles at a profoundly rapid pace,” Link said. “He’s a 100%, complete-package player. He’s fast, smart and strong.”

Link said Bussard’s intellectual evolution as a tennis player has fueled his success on the court, and Gentile’s calm and cerebral demeanor on the court has skyrocketed his success at No. 2 singles.

She also pointed to Doran and Ethan Harclerode’s fit as a doubles team.

“They never stop moving as a team and have established an unspoken manner to communicate and cover all areas of the court.”

Link said Quinn, Ervin, sophomore Maddox Deantonio and freshman Baxter Diehm have grown together in competition at No. 2 doubles.

“They train together and challenge and support each other,” Link said. “They push each other for starting opportunities. These four are indeed the future of our team and are all contributing to our success.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Valley