PIAA TENNIS: Abington Heights advances to Class 3A semifinals with win over Upper St. Clair

Abington Heights is one of the top four Class 3A teams in the state.

In what has been a demanding and at times exhausting stretch of intensely competitive tennis, the Comets found the energy early Friday morning to keep their season alive. William Arp won his No. 2 singles match, and the teams of Liam Farrell and Bryce Comstock and Brody Goldberg and Sebastian Meyer earned wins to secure a 3-1 win over Upper St. Clair, the District 7 runner-up, at the Hershey Racquet Club.

Abington Heights (17-0) advances to Saturday’s semifinals to face District 1 champion Conestoga (19-1), a 3-0 winner over Hershey in the quarterfinals at 8 a.m. It is the third time the Comets have advanced to the semifinals since 2015.

Winners of the semifinal matches will play again at 4 p.m. for the team championship.

This postseason journey for the Comets started when they won their 13th consecutive District 2 Class 3A team championship on May 5. Singles players Prayush Mallaiah and Arp played two matches on May 7 and again on May 8 in the singles tournament, as both faced each other in the final.

Then, this week, Abington Heights won its PIAA first-round match against Radnor, 3-2, on Tuesday. Arp teamed with Liam Farrell, while brothers Brady and Bryce Comstock formed a doubles team. Both played matches on Wednesday and went head-to-head in the district final on Thursday. Not long after Arp and Farrell earned gold medals with a three-set win over their teammates, the Comets loaded into the van and headed for Hershey.

On Friday morning, Abington Heights players were right back on the court. Farrell and Bruce Comstock returned to their usual No. 1 doubles team and posted a 6-4, 6-2 win over Myles Owens and William Whitman.

Upper St. Clair freshman Ethan Yealy beat Brady Comstock, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 3 singles to even the overall match. Arp gave the Comets back the advantage with a win over Sidney Weissert, 6-3, 6-1.

Abington Heights’ No. 2 doubles team of Goldberg and Meyer battled into a third set with Daniel Smith and Rex Wanjte. The Comets’ duo won the first, 6-0, and then dropped the second set, 6-2. In the deciding set, Goldberg and Meyer pulled it out, 6-3, to lock down the overall victory.

Mallaiah had his No. 1 singles match against Carter Litchman halted while he led 6-4, 4-1.

Conestoga swept its doubles matches and had a win at No. 3 singles to reach the semifinals.

Jake Tsang and Leo Brown teamed to beat Hershey’s Jason Lyn-Sue and Brayden Ernest, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 1 doubles. The No. 2 doubles pairing of Jake Duffy and Will Connelly defeated Kyle Joo and Erik Wingert, 6-4, 6-1.

Conestoga clinched the win when Sean Fan, a sophomore, defeated Alexander Camp, 6-4, 6-3.

Radnor is a common opponent for Abington Heights and Conestoga. Conestoga defeated Radnor, 6-1, in the regular season and 3-0 in the District 1 semifinals. Abington Heights defeated Radnor, 3-2, when Mallaiah, Brady Comstock, and the doubles team of Farrell and Bryce Comstock had wins.