Knoch sophomore Laura Greb rolled on the way to the WPIAL Class AA singles title, defeating Sewickley Academy's Simran Bedi, 6-0, 6-1. Greb won the WPIAL championship last season as well.

Laura Greb won the WPIAL Class AA singles title in 2017, but returned an even stronger player this season.

That wasn't good news for the rest of the field and Greb closed the deal on back-to-back crowns with a dominant performance Friday at Shady Side Academy.

Knoch's sophomore easily defeated Sewickley Academy's Simran Bedi 6-0, 6-1 to claim the title.

“Simran is an amazing player who is strong and has awesome footwork,” said Knoch coach Nancy Conlon. “But everything about Laura's game has improved since last year. She has more power in her serve and strokes and I thought that gave her an edge.

“Laura was dominant from the moment she stepped onto the court. She worked hard for this.”

Greb was stellar on her way to the final, cruising to 10-0 wins over Greensburg Salem's Abby Jo Stull and Winchester Thurston's Alexandra Friedlander. She then disposed of Beaver's Devyn Campbell 6-0, 6-1 in a semifinal played Thursday.

“One of my goals coming into the season was to win another WPIAL title,” said Greb, “but I didn't think I'd win the matches by as much as I did.”

Conlon has seen improvement in Greb's mental game as well.

“In high school competition, there's a lot of unknowns,” she said. “You don't know a lot about some of the players you face, but Laura is a lot more confident this season. It comes from experience and she has gotten a lot of it. She trains with Alpha Tennis of Pittsburgh and that has helped her.

“She has more variety in her shots this season. She may have had them last year, but is now using them more.”

Greb will compete in the PIAA singles tournament, scheduled Nov. 2-3 in Hershey. She made it to the championship match last year before falling in straight sets to Bethlehem Catholic's Brenna Magliochetti 6-2, 7-6. The latter is now a senior.

“I want to do better at states,” Greb said. “That adds pressure, but I have to step up even more. I am sure people are looking to beat me and I have to be ready for that.

“I'm pretty confident right now and I just have to keep playing my game.”

Greb's teammate, sophomore Brooke Bauer, also advanced to states. She placed third in the WPIAL by defeating Campbell in a consolation match 6-3, 6-3.

Mars senior Amelia Haley missed out on the Class AAA state tournament, losing 6-3, 6-2 to Bethel Park's Amelia Gorman in the consolation round.