Methacton High School’s senior Alice Liang and junior Hana Nouaime, often referred to as the dynamic duo, have slammed wins for the third time together in both district and state tennis doubles. They took home golds in both district and state doubles this year, adding up to a total of three consecutive first place finishes in districts and two in states accumulated over their high school years. The extraordinary players are known for their strong net play and communication.

Liang and Nouaime defended their district championship on the 21st and 22nd of October for the third time undefeated! Round one was versus Unionville (6-2, 6-0), the quarter final was against Strath Haven (6-3, 6-2), semi-final was with Radnor (6-1, 6-0), and for the finale, the athletes faced their familiar foe Conestoga (6-4, 6-2).

The pair won the PIAA state championship for the second time in a row on November 5th after intense games in all three rounds. In the quarter finals, they crushed Bethel Park (6-3, 6-0) and Manheim Township (clean sweep of 6-0, 6-0). In the semi finals, the duo played Parkland, a tough game with a tie-breaking set (6-1, 3-6, 6-3) for their win. They defeated Radnor in the final round with a breathtaking score of 6-1, 6-2.

The girls started playing the sport around the age of 4 or 5, but started competitive tennis around 9. They met around 7 or 8 years old and played at the Frog Hollow Racquet Club, becoming best friends. The first time playing doubles together was during Nouaime’s freshman year and Liang’s sophomore year, which was also the year of their first district win and second place in states. 

Liang’s cousins play professional tennis, and she started because of them. The senior believes that “the tennis chapter of [her] life has ended”, and definitely doesn’t want to go down the alley of professional tennis. Nouaime’s sister plays tennis at Oberlin College and her dad used to play recreationally. Nouaime is thinking about schools for college tennis, but isn’t interested in professional tennis.

To other high school students interested in playing competitive tennis, our two experts advise to “stay patient and persistent; the improvements in [their] game will come overtime” and that they should “focus on enjoying the sport of tennis before anything and [deal] with the mental side of things.”

Senior Alice Liang is graduating this year, and the girls’ tennis team will miss her, but will hold onto Nouaime for another year! The dynamic duo has made their mark in Methacton history and will continue to be role models to future Methacton tennis players.