Quaker Valley duo overcomes all obstacles en route to WPIAL doubles title

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, October 13, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Two down, one to go.

Kirsten Close and Avery Allan, Quaker Valley’s leading singles players, joined forces as doubles partners for the postseason.

Close, a senior, and Allan, a freshman, advanced to the WPIAL Class 2A doubles tournament by easily winning the Section 5-2A title as the tandem did not lose a single game.

The two good friends gained another victory Oct. 3 on a bigger stage — the WPIAL doubles tournament.

Close and Allan defeated North Catholic sophomore Brea Kelley and senior Katie Hardy, 6-2, 6-2, on a brilliantly sunny day at the Bethel Park High School tennis courts.

The QV and NC teams were seeded No. 1 and No. 2.

“We’ve talked about how this is a three-step process,” QV coach Christi Hays said. “So far, two steps have been accomplished: sections, check; WPIALs, check. PIAA here we come.

“I am inordinately proud of Kirsten and Avery’s performance in the whole tournament, but particularly in the quarters and also finals against two very talented and eager North Catholic teams.

“It is always challenging to be the favorites; everybody you play has nothing to lose. And it is especially challenging when you haven’t been on the court very much or feeling even close to 100 percent. Their play wasn’t always pretty and there were some nerves at first, but they willed each other to get the job done. It comes down to the fact that their games complement each other, they have iron wills, and they trust each other — and in doubles that is imperative. They had a good game plan and they executed it well enough to win.”

Close, 17, and Allan, 14, weren’t in serious danger of faltering in the WPIAL championship round.

They quickly jumped out 1-0 in both sets then fell behind 2-1. But the tandem bounced back to win five consecutive games in both sets to clinch the championship.

“They complement each other as partners extremely well,” Hays said. “They have very similar styles of play and there is no weak link for their opponents to exploit.

“When they are able to get their serves really going, it sets up the net person to roam and create limited hitting lanes for the opponent, thus forcing errors. They also communicate well during points and pump each other up and support each other between points.”

Close was gracious afterwards.

“I am really happy we won doubles,” she said. “North Catholic played really well and they are a good team, but I really owe the win to Avery for being such a good doubles partner and player.

“I feel the key to winning was just getting the jitters and rust out. In the beginning of each set, we got tight, but by the end of each set, we played better and eventually got the win.”

While Close is dynamic with her shots as a left-handed hitter, Allan proved to be a steady right-handed player against NC.

“Winning WPIAL doubles is such a huge achievement, and I am so proud of Kirsten and I,” Allan said, “especially since Kirsten has had a rough couple of months. It’s amazing that she was even able to come out and play, but her ability to push through was what truly made the difference in our success.

“Our key to winning was our strategy and playing to our strengths. Kirsten is amazing at the net, so I would try my best to set her up from the baseline and let her finish the point.”

Close spent much of her time off the court and in and out the hospital after getting diagnosed with Crohn’s disease earlier in the fall. She was prescribed with medicine and is regaining her health.

“Kirsten has been hampered all season so far by serious health issues,” Hays said. “For weeks, she was in and out of the hospital. The doctors were having difficulty pinpointing what was wrong.

“Just recently, it has been diagnosed that she has Crohn’s disease and also a condition called gastroparesis, which is what is causing her vomiting. Likely both of them were triggered by some type of virus in May or June. She’s doing better, but the challenge is balancing the meds to manage both conditions and for her to get her strength back.”

Teaming with Allan for the postseason proved to be a no-brainer for both girls.

“Kirsten and I chose to play doubles because we were confident we could make a run in WPIALs and states,” Allan said. “We also have been friends for many years and train together, so we just wanted to have fun together this season.”

Hays said the decision to switch Close and Allan from singles to doubles for the playoffs was an easy one.

“First, they train together and are very good friends,” Hays said. “The pair arrived at practice the very first day of the preseason and asked if I would consider letting them do the doubles instead of the singles competition. They felt they would have had a good chance to do well in the singles at the WPIAL level, but not necessarily as well at the state level.

“So they hatched a plan over the summer to do the doubles instead. They worked on their doubles and entered a few doubles competitions over the summer and did extremely well. So I was more than happy to grant their request to play the doubles and am excited to see how far they can go.”

The PIAA doubles tournament will take place Nov. 1-2 at Hershey Racquet Club.

“I’m excited for the state tournament with Avery in a few weeks,” Close said. “I really just want to have fun with my last run in high school tennis. We are hoping to do well but all the teams at states are very good.”

The state playoffs will be a first-time experience for Avery much like the section and WPIAL tournaments.

“The state tournament is definitely going to be a challenge,” Allan said, “but we are confident in our game and are looking forward to competing.”

As a team, Quaker Valley captured the Section 5-2A championship behind Close (12-1), Allan (15-0) and senior Jay Olawaiye (7-1) at singles and a mix of players in the doubles events. The Quakers rolled to a 6-0 record in section play to finish ahead of Sewickley Academy (5-1), Aquinas Academy (4-2), Ambridge (3-3), Keystone Oaks (2-4), Carlynton (1-5) and Hopewell (0-6).

QV lost only two sets against its section opponents and took a 10-1 overall record into the WPIAL team tournament.

“Our season has been one for the books,” Allan said. “We won our section and are ready for the WPIAL team tournament. All of the team’s success is attributable to one person in particular — our coach, Christi Hays.

“Coach Hays has guided us and been a key to our success the entire season. Personally, she has been a role model on and off the court for me and I can’t wait to continue playing for her.”

The end of the 2024 tennis season could prove to be bittersweet for Close, who is involved in several extracurricular activities at her school. She plans to continue playing tennis at Haverford College, a Division III Centennial Conference member located northwest of Philadelphia.

“I think QV tennis has been amazing this season,” said Close, who intends to major in history and study in the pre-law field at Haverford. “With incoming freshman and veterans on the team, it gives us a nice dynamic and allows us to connect more and many times win tough matches.

“I am really just excited to finish out my senior season with such an amazing team whether it ends on a win or a loss.”

Close is co-founder and president of MePower United, a local student-driven initiative that helps enable disadvantaged women take control of their health and well-being by providing health education and training.

MPU also provides the disadvantaged with a dignified source of income through sales of reusable pads and reduces period poverty in their communities.

Close’s sister, Ashley, a 2024 Sewickley Academy graduate, also is co-founder of MePower United. She is attending Wake Forest this fall.

Tags: Quaker Valley