DYNAMIC
DUO
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
Peters Township Girls Tennis duo captures State Title.
A
t just 14 and 15 years old, respectively, Peters
Township girls’ tennis players Marra Bruce
and Katarina “Kat” Wang have captured their
first state title.
Bruce, a freshman and Wang, a sophomore,
claimed the PIAA Class AAA doubles tennis
title, defeating Radnor’s Kanon Ciarrocchi
and Lucy Hederick 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at Hershey Racquet Club in
November.
The girls arrived at the state championship following a WPIAL
Championship win at the Oxford Athletic Club in October,
where they beat Latrobe’s Jenna Bell and Carolina Walters with a
6-2, 6-0 straight-set victory. The team also captured the Section
Doubles title in September.
Their coach, Phyllis DeRienzo, says that recognizing and
playing to the girls’ individual talents helped to propel them
to victory.
“Kat and Marra are extremely talented players on their own,”
says DeRienzo. “They each bring different strengths on the
doubles court. It helped that the girls have known each other for
years and have played a bit before this year.”
Their ability to communicate also helped the duo to
thrive, she says.
“Their skill level is off the charts, but when nerves kick in,
anything can happen. That’s where good communication and
building each other up when mistakes are made comes into play,”
she explains. “They did a very good job of staying positive and
playing to their strengths. We had a game plan and Kat and Marra
executed it really well.”
Wang says her chemistry with Bruce on the court, as well as
their solid friendship, was a factor in their winning season.
“We get along and our playing styles really match,” says Wang.
“I grind out my serve and the ground strokes, while she is really
good at finishing it off.”
Bruce adds, “We just have good chemistry to begin with. She’s
a consistent baseliner and I’m the one that attacks at the net. It
works the best for us.”
Both girls have been playing the sport since a very early
age. Bruce, who started at age 3, comes from a family of tennis
champions; her mother, Marcy, was a PIAA doubles champion at
Mt. Lebanon and her brother, Connor, won a doubles state title
this past spring. Wang, who started playing tennis at age 5, says
her entire family plays recreational tennis, and her brothers also
played competitively.
Wang credits the support of her coach and her extended team
for her success with Bruce on the courts.
“I would say the reason we got so far was because we had such
a nice coach that guided us through the entire season, and our
team was filled with even more amazing people. There was so
much support to go around,” says Wang.
As a first-year varsity player, Bruce says the support of the
entire team is what made the PIAA win special.
“We all cheered each other on the entire season because we
wanted the best success for all of us as a team,” states Bruce, who
adds that wearing the gold medal was “the best feeling ever.”
With the win, Bruce and Wang became the first Peters
Township team to win the PIAA doubles championship
since 2012.
“It’s such a joyful time when a doubles team can really excel
and bring home the gold after their hard work,” says DeRienzo.
“They have made us all so proud. The whole team was behind
them. Two teammates came with them to Hershey to show extra
support. Kat and Marra really appreciated that their teammates
could make the trip.”
Looking ahead, the team has its sights set on another
championship run.
“This whole team has been such a pleasure to coach. As we
look forward the future we hope to repeat our WPIAL victory
and see where the following year takes us,” says DeRienzo. “We
are already planning for 2020.” n
PETERS TOWNSHIP
❘
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020
37