MICHAELA KISSELL

SCHOOL: Latrobe.

WHO IS SHE?: Three-time PIAA Class AAA singles champion.

THE PAST WEEK: A junior, Kissell made it 3 for 3 in the girls' state tennis tournament. She defeated Courtney Fenimore of Lower Merion, 6-0, 1-0, in the final Saturday at Hershey Racquet Club. An injury forced Fenimore to withdraw in the second set.

Kissell, a 5-foot-8 right-hander, is the first girl to win three consecutive PIAA titles in the highest classification. (Jackie Carleton of Jenkintown was the Class AA champ from 1998-2000.)

CAREER: For the third year in a row, Kissell was a straight-set winner in all four of her PIAA matches. But she said the competition this time was the toughest.

"From my first match, I had to play someone who plays in national tournaments," Kissell said. "Fortunately, I've been able to play my best in state tournaments all three years."

About six weeks ago, Kissell won a third WPIAL singles title.

STRONG ALL-AROUND: How does a player with no true weakness become even better? Strive for consistency.

"One of the things I work on the most is keeping every part of my game equal," Kissell said. "I don't think there is any part that is better or worse than the others."

UP IN CLASS: With the scholastic season over, Kissell plans to compete in some "international" tournaments from now through spring. She won't leave the United States for them, but the fields will include a number of teenage players from other countries. Once school ends, Kissell will be a tournament player nearly every weekend.

She had been a top-flight Middle States player, but no longer competes in tournaments sanctioned by that organization.

MOM'S THE WORD: Lessons in tennis, and life, are always nearby. Kim Storkel Kissell is Michaela's mother and full-time coach. Kim qualified for the WPIAL tournament when she was a student at Greensburg Salem. She is a pro at Greensburg Racquet Club.

FUTURE: A year from now, Kissell will pursue more WPIAL and PIAA gold. "I'm not even thinking about that yet," she said, laughing. "This one is just finished."

Pro tennis is a possibility after high school, but Kissell plans to attend college. She isn't seriously considering any programs yet.

-- By Rick Shrum

CASEY QUINN

SCHOOL: Bishop Canevin.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior receiver/tight end/defensive back who has broken or tied four school records this season.

LAST WEEK: Quinn caught seven passes for 83 yards as Bishop Canevin (10-0) defeated South Side Beaver, 14-0, in a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal.

SEASON: Quinn has caught 44 passes for 736 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He also has intercepted 11 passes and has helped Bishop Canevin to an 11-0 record.

BROKEN RECORDS: The 11 interceptions ties a single-season record at Bishop Canevin. But Quinn now has three other school records to himself. They are 90 career receptions, 23 career touchdown receptions and 16 career interceptions. The career interceptions record was 25 years old.

"Take a look at the number of passes we've thrown," said Bishop Canevin coach Bob Jacoby. "We're not throwing 30 passes a game. In fact, we've only thrown the ball a total of 142 times. So, I think the records he has in receiving are pretty impressive."

GROWING UP: Quinn had always been a tall and slender youngster. Only a year ago, he was 175 pounds. As a sophomore, he was between 160 and 170.

Quinn worked hard on the weights in the offseason and also got himself a personal trainer.

"I was real small as a freshman and sophomore," he said. "After my junior year, I just decided I had to get stronger if I wanted to get better."

FOOTBALL FAMILY: Football and sports are a big part of the Quinn family, which resides in Mt. Washington. The father, Patrick, played football at Duquesne University. Shawn Quinn, one of Casey's brothers, was the quarterback on Canevin's 2000 team that made it to the WPIAL Class A semifinals and played at Carnegie Mellon.

ABOUT THE SEMIFINALS: Bishop Canevin meets a strong Duquesne team (10-0) in the semifinals tomorrow night. "Everyone on the team pretty much thinks that no one is giving us a chance in this game," Casey Quinn said. "But we've believed in ourselves all year, and we believe going into this game."

THE FUTURE: Quinn, who has a 3.7 grade-point average, is considering attending Duquesne or Robert Morris and plans to play football at either place.

-- By Mike White