The WRA Girls Varsity tennis team hosted the defending state champion Orange on Tuesday, and battled for over 2 hours before being edged 3-2 in a spirited match. WRA come in to the match at #64 on the National Universal Tennis Rating list, while Orange entered the contest at #18. Orange is also ranked #1 in Ohio in Division 2 and #1 in Northeast Ohio in Division 2, while WRA is #6.

WRA's Rithi Hegde '29 got things started for WRA with a solid 6-1, 6-0 win over Orange star Ivy Berlin at #1 Singles. Pio teammate Catie Cunningham '29 kept the momentum going with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at #2 Singles over the Lions' Navya Kambhampati. Orange scored their first point with a strong performance at #2 Doubles, where standout Raina Patel and Zoey Ro defeated the Pioneer team of Sia Mahesh '27 and Bella Arakaki '28 by a 6-2, 6-2 score. The match stayed 2-1 for more than 30 minutes before the Orange #1 Doubles team of Melanie Statsevych and Jaya Dixit defeated the Reserve team of Lela Yajnik '27 and Sasha Hillard '29, 6-4, 6-4. The final point was scored in Orange's favor at #3 Singles at the 2:05 mark. Pioneer freshman standout Dorothy Mendelson '30 battled back from 4 points from defeat in the second set before forcing a match tiebreaker – just coming up short to the Lions' Isha Kambhampati 6-3, 5-7, 10-8.

The match featured some solid tennis from both teams and demonstrated the strong spirit and character of the WRA tennis players and team.

The WRA Girls Varsity closes out the fall season at home on Wednesday against Cathedral Prep. Match time is 4:00pm.

Box Score
Orange 3, Western Reserve Academy 2
At Western Reserve Academy
Hudson, OH
October 6, 2026

Singles:
1S Rithi Hegde (WRA) d Ivy Berlin (O) 6-1, 6-0
2S Catie Cunningham (WRA) d Navya Kambhampati (O) 6-0, 6-0
3S Isha Kambhampati (O) d Dorothy Mendelson (WRA) 6-3, 5-7, 10-8

Doubles:
1D Melanie Statsevych/Jaya Dixit (O) d Sasha Hillard/Lela Yajnik (WRA) 6-4, 6-4
2D Raina Patel/Zoey Ro (O) d Sia Mahesh/Bella Arakaki (WRA) 6-2, 6-2

Order of Finish: 1S, 2S, 2D, 1D, 3S*
* Clinching Point
Time of Match: 2:05
Attendance: 52