Two of Ohio's top girls tennis programs battled for over 2 ½ hours on Monday with WRA's Girls Tennis Team prevailing over #6 ranked Hathaway Brown by a 4-1 score in a tight, thrilling match played at the Hathaway Brown courts. The victory was the Pios 11th straight to start the season.

The Pioneers came out strong, quickly establishing first set leads on all five courts. At about the 90-minute mark, the Pioneers #1 Doubles team of Lela Yajnik '27 and Sasha Hillard '29 scored the first team point with a 6-1, 6-1 win over HB's Rebekah Dong and Manya Raina, continuing their outstanding 2026 season. Soon after, the WRA #2 Doubles tandem of Sia Mahesh '27 and Bella Arakaki '28 made it 2-0 for the Pioneers, winning the last 4 games to secure a 6-1, 6-3 victory over the Blazers' Samia Khaled and Annie Jones. HB closed the gap to 2-1 when Lucia Holiday defeated Pio Dorothy Mendelson '30 at #3 Singles in a high-quality match, 6-3, 6-3. Mendelson, playing some of her best tennis of the season, stayed within striking distance throughout the match.

The outcome of the team match hinged on the top two singles courts. WRA's #1 Singles player Rithi Hegde '29 was playing a very close match with HB's top player, Anna Mills, while Pio Sophomore Catie Cunningham '29 was doing battle with the Blazers' Ava Kamensky. Both matches went back and forth before Cunningham clinched the team win at the 2:30 mark with a 6-2, 6-4 victory. Shortly after, Hegde added to her first set win by forcing a second set tiebreaker and prevailing in a tight 6-4, 7-6(1) match to score the fourth and final point for WRA.

The Pioneer Girls Varsity will host Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin on Tuesday, September 15 at the WRA tennis center. Match time is 4:30pm. They then head to the East Coast on Friday and Saturday for the Conrad Weiser HS Invitational on Friday and the Atlantic Prep Invitational on Saturday.

Box Score:

WRA 4, Hathaway Brown 1
Monday, September, 14, 2026
At Hathaway Brown School
Shaker Heights, OH

Singles:
1S: Rithi Hegde (WRA) d Anna Mills (HB) 6-4, 7-6(1)
2S: Catie Cunningham (WRA) d Ava Kamensky (HB) 6-2, 6-4
3S: Lucia Holiday (HB) d Dorothy Mendelson (WRA) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles:
1D: Lela Yajnik/Sasha Hillard (WRA) d Rebekah Dong/Manya Raina (HB) 6-1, 6-1
2D: Sia Mahesh/Bella Arakaki (WRA) d Samia Khaled/Annie Jones (HB) 6-1, 6-3

Time of match 2:39
Attendance: 36
Order of Finish: 1D, 2D, 3S, 2S*, 1S
* = Clinching Point