JEFFERSON TWP — Laura Greb had to beat a few familiar faces on the way to the WPIAL Class AA girls singles championship Friday at North Allegheny High School.

Including a very familiar one.

Her Knoch teammate and good friend, Brooke Bauer.

“We always said, 'On the court we're enemies,'” Greb said, “'Off the court we're friends.'”

The friends, both freshmen and the No. 1 and No. 2 singles players for the Knights, battled in the semifinals after both won a pair of matches.

During play, it was all serious. During breaks, it was different.

“They'd come off and laugh and talk and be teammates again,” said Knoch girls tennis coach Nancy Conlon. “During the match, the play was extraordinary. They're both very talented and both very competitive.”

Following Greb's 6-3, 6-3 win over her friend and teammate, the two shared a big bear hug.

The tournament turned out pretty well for both of them.

After downing Bauer, Greb moved on to play Katherine Marks of OLSH, who had defeated her earlier in the season.

Greb won a tight first set, 6-4, and cruised in the second set, 6-1, to win the title.

Greb studied the loss to Marks and formulated a different strategy the second time around to beat her.

“She loves to hit her forehand in the middle and loves to smack it to my backhand to get me off balance,” Greb said. “I just had to hit it deep to the corner.”

Greb said she played the best tennis of the season in the final.

So did Conlon.

“Katherine won last year. She was third in state last year,” Conlon said. “Laura went in with a different mindset and won a tight first set and had a tad bit easier time in the second. She brought it.”

So did Bauer, who overcame her tough loss to her teammate to win her consolation match over Kelsey Heckert of Indiana in convincing fashion, 6-1, 6-1.

That punched Bauer's ticket to the PIAA Class AA girls tennis championship.

No one was happier to see Bauer advance than Greb.

“I was super excited when she got through,” Greb said. “It's going to be so much fun to go to states with her.”

Only two WPIAL schools are sending two tennis players to the PIAA championships, which will be held Nov. 3 and 4 in Hershey.

North Allegheny and Knoch.

“That makes me feel proud,” Bauer said. “It was really special to play (Greb) and for us both to get to states.”

The fact that Greb and Bauer are both freshmen makes that feat even more eye-opening.

“This was a little different than a regular-season match when there are only a few people watching, mostly family members,” Conlon said. “There were a lot of spectators and other schools were there with coaches watching. That adds to the anxiety. To see them step up and raise their game as freshmen, that's pretty amazing.”

Bauer admitted she was pretty nervous before her first match.

Then she calmed herself down.

“I was just thinking if this doesn't work out, I have three more years,” Bauer said. “I just wanted to do my best.”

She won that first match 10-0.

Greb said the butterflies were fluttering in her stomach before play began.

She also won her first match, 10-0.

Greb has been playing tennis since she was 5. She didn't always think she'd keep doing it.

“When I was younger, I played for fun and I didn't know if I wanted to keep playing,” Greb said. “I kept working hard at it.”

And now she's a WPIAL champion.

“Tennis is the only sport I play,” Greb said. “It's pretty much year-round. It's nice to know all that work is paying off.”