O-R Athlete of the Week: Gabby Dusi, Belle Vernon
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Name: Gabby Dusi
School: Belle Vernon
Class: Junior
Sport: Tennis
Dusi’s week: The junior won her second straight WPIAL championship in Class 2A with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Hampton senior Grace Stitt on Thursday at Bethel Park High School.
Dusi won the gold last season as the fifth seed, but she was the top seed this year and received a bye in the opening round. Dusi defeated North Catholic’s Brea Kelly, 10-0, before topping Beaver’s Anna Mrkonja in straight sets (6-1, 6-1) in the semifinals.
Dusi won Belle Vernon’s first district title in tennis a year ago.
“My mindset was really positive throughout the tournament this year,” Dusi said. “My serve was really consistent. I am strongest with my forehand and I consider myself an aggressive player.”
Belle Vernon doesn’t have a tennis team, which hinders her from playing in the regular season, however, she hones her skills at the Upper St. Clair Development program under the tutelage of Jan Irwin, who was able to attend the finals.
“My personal coach, Jan Irwin, sets up simulated matches for me at the Upper St. Clair Development program,” Dusi said. “In my high school matches, my parents (Jodi and Steve Dusi) are my coaches. In a match, they can only coach between sets, so if you are having a bad set, you can’t take a timeout. You have to work out of it.”
The next level: Dusi would like to play tennis in college, and hopes she can perform well enough at the state tournament to impress the collegiate coaches who will be in attendance at the Hershey Racquet Club Nov. 1-2.
“There will be a lot of college coaches at the state tournament,” Dusi said. “Obviously, I want to win, but I just want to play as best as I can.
“It has been pretty neat because everyone has been super supportive, even though tennis is not as popular as the other sports.”
Dusi has nearly a month-and-a-half to wait until the state tournament because the WPIAL and PIAA team tournaments must be completed before the individuals.
Not much time: Dusi, who started playing tennis at age 12, played basketball as a freshman at Belle Vernon before deciding to give it up to focus on tennis and her academics.
She is interested in working in the healthcare field, and is also in the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) at school.
“Doing well in school has always been a priority for me,” Dusi said. “Most of my time is taken up studying or playing tennis.”
Compiled by Jonathan Guth