The most recent time Peters Township earned a major girls' tennis team championship, Julie Stroyne was able to share it with her sister, who also was in the Indians' starting lineup that day.

Last week, she got to do the same thing ... well, sort of.

But in the time that's passed between the school's 2006 PIAA Class AAA title and the 2009 WPIAL Class AAA championship it won, the fact that it was a different sister wasn't the only difference for Stroyne.

"It's definitely different. Coming into states now, I know what to expect," Stroyne said. "And I think the other kids on the team look up to me and I can kind of take them through it. It's definitely different, but it's more fun, I think."

Stroyne is the first singles player for a Peters Township team that was somewhat of a surprise winner of the WPIAL tournament last week, defeating No. 1 seed Shady Side Academy in the semifinals and No. 2 Upper St. Clair in the final last Thursday and Friday, respectively.

When the Indians won the PIAA championship three years ago, Julie Stroyne was a wide-eyed freshman playing second singles for the team and sister Kaitlyn was then a junior playing first doubles.

This season, Stroyne is a savvy senior who won her first singles match in the tournament final while younger sister Laura has been slotted at third singles all season.

"It was pretty sweet to win because coming in as the fifth seed, we weren't expected to win at all, let alone make it to the finals," Julie Stroyne said. "Our team just was really excited to be there but we were all kind of calm and just were ready for anything.

"Pulling out a win was awesome. It was nice because people who haven't won in the previous matches came through. It was kind of cool that way. It was fun."

In the championship match Friday at the Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Stroyne won at first singles, sophomore Caroline Nixon at second singles and sophomores Elizabeth Palko and Eleni Coleman won at first doubles.

In Peters Township's thrilling upset of Shady Side Academy the day before, the two spots that lost to USC had come through: The second doubles team of junior Emily Madalena and freshman Vita Komer won for the clinching point, and Laura Stroyne won at third singles. Nixon was the only player to win both matches.

"Our whole team has been really deep, all the way through our second doubles team," Laura Stoyne said.

It is depth that often wins such team tournaments, Indians coach Brandt Bowman said. And the list of Peters' quality players doesn't even end at the end of the match.

Juniors Alyssa Trier and Roxanne Chalfoux form what Bowman calls the "third doubles team," with senior Emily Estet and junior Carlee Schneider also a pairing and sophomore Erica Gretz and freshman Sara Bootman another one.

Bowman prefers to keep doubles teams together throughout the season and sets up a challenge ladder for who will hold which spot.

"I think that the biggest thing that sets apart this year from previous years for us is there's not a whole lot of difference between our No. 4 player and the No. 7 player and those Nos. 1-2 doubles teams are virtually even," Bowman said.

"In team tennis, whether it's high school or college, that's what wins. You need to have depth if you want to compete, and that comes at third singles and second doubles. That's what's going to win."

Last season, Peters lost to Shady Side Academy in the quarterfinals. The Indians also lost in the quarterfinals two seasons ago.

In 2006, they beat Shady Side Academy, 3-2, in the PIAA tournament final after losing to that team, 3-2, in the WPIAL championship match.

Although Upper St. Clair surely hopes to enact similar revenge, the Indians are pursuing their second PIAA title.

Peters Township defeated Erie McDowell, 4-1, Tuesday and will play Abington, a 5-0 winner against Philadelphia Central. That quarterfinal match will be at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Hershey Racquet Club.

The semifinals and final of the tournament will also take place in Hershey on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Panthers defeated Du Bois, 5-0, Tuesday and will play Wissahickon, a 4-1 winner against Central York. That quarterfinal match will be tomorrow at 2 p.m.

"We want to win it," Laura Stroyne said. "We want to try our hardest in practice and everything, and hopefully we can pull through.

"It's going to be very tough. Upper St. Clair, they want it bad now. But if we play like we did in the WPIAL tournament, we can definitely go pretty far at states."

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