Belle Vernon无毛视频檚 Dusi selects Saint Francis
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Gabby Dusi gave herself a belated Christmas present.
The Belle Vernon junior tennis player posted on her Instagram account Dec. 26 that she will continue her academic and tennis careers at Division I Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa.
“It just felt like it was the right time to make my decision,” Dusi said. “I was open to going anywhere, but I like being local. It is about 90 minutes from home. I am looking into the physician’s assistant program at Saint Francis.
“A lot of the kids on the tennis team room together, and they have a really close team. I will also get to play doubles in college.”
Dusi won her second straight WPIAL championship in Class 2A on Sept. 19 before finishing second in the state in singles play on Nov. 2.
“I think when I won the WPIAL championship my sophomore year was when I started to believe I had a good shot to play in college,” Dusi said. “I think that really gave my confidence a boost. I also hope that the success I have had encourages younger girls in our area to want to play tennis.”
The Leopards don’t field a tennis team, but Dusi prepares herself for the postseason tournaments at the Upper St. Clair Development program under her personal coach, Jan Irwin.
Dusi’s parents, Jodi and Steve Dusi, serve as her high school coaches.
Despite not playing doubles in high school, Dusi works on it in practice and is confident that she will be able to adapt.
“The skills from singles to doubles transfer over pretty easily, but you still have to work on playing both,” Dusi said. “There is a lot I need to improve on before I get to college. I will work during the offseason to get better, and I still have my senior season of high school.
“I am confident with my forehand and groundstrokes. In college, there are not as many unforced errors as high school, so I have to remain consistent in my striking.”
Playing a tennis match can range from an hour to several depending on its competitive nature, but Dusi still does strength training and sprint workouts.
“When we have matches in practice, that usually gives me a solid workout, so my condition is pretty good because of that,” Dusi said. “I still need to make sure I keep my strength up, and I will do workouts to help with my speed.”
She earned a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Hampton’s Grace Stitt for back-to-back district titles at Bethel Park High School as the No. 1 seed. Dusi was the fifth seed when she won her first WPIAL gold as a sophomore.
Dusi’s accomplishments in the WPIAL and PIAA tournaments are all program firsts. She won her first-round match, 6-0, 6-0, and her quarterfinal, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to Day 2 of the state tournament at the Hershey Racquet Club.
Dusi battled through a three-set match with Cathedral Prep sophomore Paige Patsy in the semifinals but came out victorious, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, to set up a final against Wyoming Seminary senior Ilana Rosenthal.
Dusi lost the match, 6-3, 6-2, but she was the only opponent to win a game against Rosenthal in the tournament. Rosenthal won her third straight state championship.