Held

Elise Held has an uncanny knack for getting the most out of whatever she puts into something.

Pick up tennis in the sixth grade? Practice just once with your doubles partner?

No matter, she still won a WPIALchampionship in ninth grade.

Held, a freshman at Vincentian Academy from Penn Township, captured the WPIAL Class AA Girls Doubles Tennis Championship at Norwin High School last week with sophomore teammate Alena Tesone of Gibsonia.

"I had no idea what to expect," said Held, 14. "As a freshman, I've never played in the WPIAL tournament before. The only people I know is my best friend Noella Richman and her sister Sara (of Quaker Valley)."

The Vincentian duo downed the Richman sisters 6-2, 6-1 in the championship final. They also had defeated them in the Section 6-AA finals 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the season.

"This was a big win for us. We had beaten them in the section," said Held. "Going in, we had no idea what would happen."

It was the WPIAL doubles semifinals that gave Held and Tesone the idea it could be their tournament to win.

"We defeated finalists from the state tournament from last year," said Held. "They're the No. 1 and No. 2 players from Greensburg Central Catholic (Franca Peluso and Courtney Hawk) and the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL. We beat them 6-0, 6-4.

"That was a good win. We went into the final pretty confident," she added.

Oddly enough, Held and Tesone had practiced only once as doubles partners before sections, but not at all leading up to the WPIAL tournament.

Held is the Royals' No. 1 singles player and Tesone is No. 2. Held finished fourth in the Section 6-AA singles tournament, losing in the consolation final 6-3, 4-0 to Sara Richman before retiring because of an ankle sprain.

Held had lost in the semifinals to Emily Urda, a senior from Sewickley Academy. Tesone was defeated by Sara Richman in the quarterfinals.

But when Held and Tesone joined forces, they rolled through the field, winning by scores of 10-1 and 10-5 before defeating Peluso and Hawk in the semifinals and the Richmans in the finals.

"We played really well together," said Held, who trains at Lakevue Racquet Club in Valencia. "We both have different strengths. It really works between us. Some singles players don't click together."

Held, who attended the South Butler School District through the eighth grade before transferring to Vincentian, had started playing tennis only three years earlier under the tutelage of Butler Country Club tennis professional Whitney Snyder.

Now, "I love it and couldn't live without it," said Held.

Held and Tesone will set their sights on the state championships, which take place Nov. 3 and 4 in Hershey.

"I'm thinking about states. The WPIAL is over and states is next," said held. "We'll take it one match at a time. We beat the finalist last year and the people that won the doubles title at states graduated. I'm thinking we have a good chance — as long as there's not a new team like us."