Junior Amanda Nord and freshman Charlotte James just won the WPIAL AAA doubles title for Fox Chapel Area High School by defeating Tina Li and Ashley Huang of North Allegheny, 6-2, 6-4.
This is not unfamiliar territory for Amanda. It’s the third consecutive year she has won the WPIAL doubles title, something she previously accomplished alongside Laurel Shymansky, who now plays for Duquesne University.
It’s not too often that a high school coach finds freshmen as talented as Amanda and Laurel, but the fact that there always seems to be a great player waiting in the wings is becoming somewhat of a tradition. It appears to have happened again with the arrival of Charlotte James, which was a total surprise.
The first time the player and coach met was late this summer on the first day of practice. Coach Slezak knew nothing about the young player, other than she recently moved to the area from South Carolina and, at first glance, seemed like she and Amanda might match up nicely.
It worked out better than he had hoped. During the regular season the tandem was undefeated, 8-0, something Coach Slezak attributes to a combination of three things: “They have talent, they have a great relationship that does not change whether they are winning or losing, and they know how to handle the momentum of a tennis match.
“It’s nice because Amanda was mentored by Laurel and now Amanda is mentoring Charlotte. The mentoring process is something we try to implement. We always have someone above a player who they can learn from.”
Charlotte and Amanda are more than partners on the court – they have become friends and share many qualities. They are role models for the team and compete in a way that is fair and honorable. Plus, they both are excellent students. In other words, they are a coach’s dream.
The girls’ next big challenge is with the team at the first round of the team playoffs on Tuesday, October 25. Once the team championships have concluded, Amanda and Charlotte are headed to the PIAA Girls’ Tennis Doubles’ Championship on November 4 and 5.
While it will be a new experience for Amanda playing with someone other than Laurel at the state matches, their coach has total confidence in what she and Charlotte can achieve together.