Girls Tennis MVPs: Sophia Cunningham & Sylvie Eriksen, Mt. Lebanon

Sophia Cunningham and Sylvie Eriksen may have been tossed together as a doubles tandem but their WPIAL tennis title was anything but arbitrary.
“It was just a mix. A random doubles team,” said Cunningham.
With Cunningham’s smash hits at the net and Eriksen’s consistent returns, the Mt. Lebanon duo defeated North Allegheny’s Emily Wincko and Abbey Swirdsding, 6-0, 6-0, to win the Class 3A doubles title Oct. 7 at Glenn Creek Tennis Club in South Park.
“Honestly,” said Eriksen, “our secret to success was playing as well as we could possibly play. We were playing our game and staying strong.”
“It was about staying hopeful,” added Cunningham. “We knew we could do it but it was just about staying confident. I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish.”
Cunningham and Eriksen opened action with wins over Pine-Richland’s Lily Hynds and Rachel Smith (10-1) and Baldwin’s Gabi Moder and Emma Overlingas (10-4). In their semifinal match, they topped Bethel Park’s Lily Sierka and Katie Peterson, 6-3, 7-6 (7).
In winning a WPIAL championship, Cunningham and Eriksen earned a spot in Mt. Lebanon’s Hall of Champions, which is crowded with tennis tandems as the Blue Devils have won 13 doubles titles. It was the first, however, since Erin Gustine and Ting Yu in 1992.
While it took 30 years to produce a champion, it didn’t take long for Cunningham and Eriksen to find their winning formula. They joined forces shortly before the section doubles tournament Sept. 28-29.
When not playing together, Cunningham was Lebo’s No. 1 singles player while Eriksen comprised half of school’s No. 2 doubles team.
The Blue Devils went undefeated during the regular season then won a 14th WPIAL team championship. They snapped a 31-year-old drought by dispatching North Allegheny, 4-1, on Oct. 20 at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center at Washington & Jefferson College.
The Blue Devils embarked on their team championship quest by sweeping Oakland Catholic and Fox Chapel, 5-0. Lebo then edged Bethel Park, 3-2, in a semifinal match played in much the same weather conditions as the finals.
Mt. Lebanon advanced to the PIAA semifinals in the team competition. After opening tournament action with a 5-0 win against State College and a 3-2 victory against Council Rock South, the Blue Devils lost to eventual state champion Conestoga, 3-1.