When hard-hitting Allderdice sophomore Melanie Levine is on her game, she's tough to beat.

She found her stride at the perfect time last week and has a City League title to show for it.

Levine won the City League girls' tennis singles championship, defeating Schenley's Angelina Winbush, 6-3, 6-2, in the title match Oct. 14 at the Pittsburgh Indoor Tennis Club in East Liberty.

"That was huge for me. I thought it was a really big accomplishment," Levine said. "Going into the tournament, I didn't think I would win, so I was kind of surprised. It was really nice.

"I was definitely 'on' that day. I played a lot better than I expected. My serve was really good and all my strokes were on more than normal. I just played really well."

Levine also beat teammate Emily Wolfson in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-3, earlier that day and won a few matches in the tournament's earlier rounds outdoors at Schenley Park the day before -- even coming back from a 9-6 deficit in the quarterfinals against Chelsea Squelch of Perry for a 11-10 win in a tiebreaker (up until the semifinals, the format called for first-to-win-10-games pro sets).

Not bad for a player who entered the postseason as the Dragons' third singles player.

"Melanie had a mixed season," Allderdice coach Sally Martin said. "There were a couple matches she would have liked to have played better, but it seemed like last week it all came together in that one match -- and in coming back the day before.

"She has the right game for that title match. Angelina is very steady and Melanie has a very aggressive game, and she just kind of bulldozed her way to that win by playing tough. She played like that all season, and it was the right style of game for that match."

Levine qualified for the PIAA Class AAA singles tournament, which will take place Nov. 6-7 at the Hershey Racquet Club. City League champions traditionally have not fared very well at the PIAA event, but Levine would like to make her stay in Chocolate Town a memorable one.

"I don't know much about how [seedings] work or how good the other players are," Levine said. "I know it's not easy to even get to the second round. I just want to win my first match there. That's my goal."

Also in Hershey that weekend will be a doubles team representing the City League. Considering Allderdice won the league team title with ease, there's a good bet Levine will be accompanied by some teammates for the trip.

The City League doubles tournament is today and tomorrow at Schenley Park, weather permitting. In the event of inclement weather, the matches will be played either at the Club 4 Life in Monroeville or the Pittsburgh Indoor Tennis Club.

The four doubles teams from Allderdice that Martin will enter are: Senior Lauren Rubin and sophomore Elizabeth Haynes, Wolfson and freshman Rebecca Brown, sophomore Lauren Friedman and junior Darya Fischbach and junior Gina Ambrogio and freshman Rachel Scoratow.

Rubin is typically the team's first singles player. A four-year starter with a smooth and steady stroke, she teamed with then-senior Gayle Garvin to win the City League doubles title last season, advancing to the PIAA quarterfinals, and will play with Haynes this season. Haynes has been playing second singles in the Dragons' lineup.

Rubin lost in City League singles semifinals to Winbush, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2), but is looking for another route to Hershey.

Wolfson, a junior, and Brown are the usual Allderdice first doubles team and Friedman and Fischbach are most often slotted at second doubles.

Allderdice did not lose an individual match in any of their City League matches this season, remaining undefeated through winning the championship two weeks ago. The Dragons also went 2-1 against WPIAL competition.

"We had lost four seniors from the starting lineup from last year, so this was a year of building back up," Martin said. "Lauren is really the only senior in the lineup, so it required some underclassmen to step up and get some valuable experience that will pay off later."

In the PIAA Class AAA team tournament the Dragons will face the District 6 champions Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. The winner of that match joins seven other schools from across the state in the PIAA quarterfinals at the Hershey Racquet Club. The semifinals and final are scheduled for Saturday.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.