Sep 27, 2023 3 min read

Name: Gabby Dusi

School: Belle Vernon

Class: Sophomore

Sport: Tennis

Dusi’s week: Dusi, as the fifth seed, defeated four opponents on her way to the gold medal in the WPIAL Class 2A Girls Tennis Singles Championships held at North Allegheny. She won the title with a straight-sets victory (6-1, 6-0) over Beaver senior Chloe DeSanzo.

Dusi defeated Winchester Thurston’s Cecilia Gurgel, 6-1, 6-1, in the semifinals. Gurgel was the top seed. Dusi won her first round and quarterfinal matches by scores of 10-2. She is Belle Vernon’s first WPIAL champion in tennis.

“It was super exciting to win the WPIAL title,” Dusi said. “I definitely enjoyed my experience, and everyone was so friendly. I didn’t have any matches before the section tournament, but I felt comfortable and thought I played well overall. I was pleased with my shot selection.”

The lone wolf: Belle Vernon doesn’t have a girls tennis team, but Dusi enjoyed the camaraderie with the other players. Her personal coach is Jan Irwin of the Upper St. Clair Development program, but when it comes to the school matches, her parents, Jodi and Steve Dusi, are her coaches.

“My dad started me in tennis when I was younger and my mom helps out a great deal, so they were able to coach me at the section and WPIAL tournaments,” Dusi said. “It would be nice to have a team to share these moments with and just hang out, but I met so many nice people that were very supportive, and a lot of the girls that go to the Upper St. Clair Tennis Development program were at the WPIAL tournament.”

A long wait: With her win in the WPIAL tournament, Dusi has qualified for the state championships in singles play Nov. 3 and 4 in Hershey. She won’t have any competition until that time, which is a wait period of roughly a month-and-a-half.

“I am excited to go to states,” Dusi said. “I lost in the first round of the WPIAL tournament last year, so this is a big step up. I am going to work with my coach in Upper St. Clair on different shots, my net game and serving. I am going to stay grounded and look to play the best I can in each match.”

Playing at the next level: Dusi has aspirations to play tennis in college, and she recommends others try the sport because it is a fun sport that someone can play for the rest of their life.

“I defintely want to play tennis in college,” Dusi said. “I started when I was 10 or 11, but started really taking it seriously when I was 12. I am very focused in my studies because grades always come first.

“I wouldn’t say I have a ton of hobbies outside of school and tennis because I really focus on them, but tennis is so much fun, and even though we don’t have a team at Belle Vernon, I’ve met so many nice people during my time playing.”

Compiled by Jonathan Guth

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