WILKES-BARRE – With her senior season in the most successful tennis career ever produced by a Wyoming Area player approaching, Brianna Pizzano suffered a torn ligament in her right wrist that she feared would cut her high school career short.
“The first week and the second week, I thought I was going to be out until next year,” said Pizzano, who hopes to continue the sport in college. “Usually with this injury, you have to get surgery right away.
“Thank God it held up. I’ve just been taping it.”
The surgery is still on the horizon in November, but with support from a little well-placed tape, Pizzano has been able to tough out a senior season that produced an upset playoff win by her team and a fourth straight trip to the District 2 Class 2A singles final.
Pizzano made it back to the final by breezing through four matches, losing just one game in eight sets, before falling to Riverside’s Karissa Ghigiarelli, 6-1, 6-1, Friday afternoon at Kirby Park.
“Just to be in districts and getting through the whole season was amazing,” Pizzano said. “I didn’t think I would be playing even in the regular season.”
Pizzano won Wyoming Area’s first two district singles titles as a freshman and sophomore and reached the final against Ghigiarelli the past two seasons.
After winning three straight 6-0, 6-0 matches Thursday, Pizzano was particularly sharp in Friday’s semifinal while beating Holy Redeemer’s Tia Amerise, 6-0, 6-1.
“I thought that match would be much harder than it was,” Pizzano said. “The score doesn’t show how close it really was. My serve was just perfect so that made it easier.”
Wyoming Area’s Bella Scappaticci won her first match Thursday before being eliminated.
Scappaticci defeated Montrose’s Annabel Adams, 6-1, 6-0, then lost to Valley View’s Faith Kendricks, 6-4, 6-3, with a quarterfinal berth at stake.
Class 3A singles
Pittston Area’s two entries in the District 2-4 Class 3A Subregional each lost in the first round Thursday.
Wallenpaupack’s Tori Weber defeated Rachel Senese, 6-1, 6-4. Hazleton Area’s Madelyn Terraccino beat Sarah Armitage, 6-2, 6-1.
Class 2A team
Holy Redeemer edged Wyoming Area, 3-2, in Tuesday’s District 2 quarterfinals.
Wyoming Area, the last seed in the 11-team field, reached that round with last week’s 3-2 upset at sixth-seeded Valley View.
“They were so highly seeded,” number-one singles player Brianna Pizzano said. “I’m proud of my team for that.”
The Lady Warriors threatened the third-seeded Lady Royals as well before being knocked out of the tournament.
Pizzano defeated Tia Amerise, 6-0, 6-2.
Belle Scappaticci added the other team point by defeating Cassie Benderavich, 6-1, 6-4, at second singles.
Sarah McCormick-Amanda McCormick came the closest to providing the other needed point, but fell to Sarah Stettler-Vanessa Pinto, 6-2, 6-4, at second doubles.
Doubles tournament
The doubles tournament is scheduled to begin Tuesday at 9 a.m. at Kirby Park.
The four semifinalist teams in Class 3A and 2A will return Wednesday at 1 p.m. to complete the tournament.
Singles champions are not eligible for the doubles tournament, so Brianna Pizzano did not play in it until last year when she joined Wyoming Area teammate Bella Scappaticci for a run to the finals where they placed second.
“Last year, we had really good teamwork,” said Pizzano, who worked with Scappaticci on doubles for about 20 minutes at a time periodically at practices throughout the season. “We just have to keep that up next week.”
Seeds and pairings for the tournament are scheduled to be released by the district Sunday at 9 p.m.
