E8 Women's Tennis Championship Home Page
The top two seeds - St. John Fisher and Nazareth - recorded victories in the 2019 Empire 8 Semifinal contests, held at the Mendon Racquet Club on Friday to advance to Saturday's championship final. Saturday's championship will also be played at the Mendon Racquet Club at 10 a.m.
#No. 1 St. John Fisher 5, No. 4 Houghton, 0
PITTSFORD, NY - The top-seeded St. John Fisher women's tennis team will play for a conference championship for the first time in team history after defeating fourth-seeded Houghton College, 5-0, on Friday in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Championship at Mendon Pool and Racquet Club.
The Cardinals, who have now won four consecutive matches, moved to 8-3 on the season while the Highlanders had their year come to a close with a 5-9 overall mark.
Fisher made quick work of Houghton in doubles play as the Cardinals swept all three points to put themselves in a strong position. At first doubles,
Kaili Saffran and
Cassidy Bell paired up for an 8-5 win while
Mikayla Santulli and
Zuzanna Pociecha came out on top, 8-3. Fisher picked up its third point at third doubles behind an 8-3 decision by
Jacqueline Chouinard and
Valerie Morgans.
In singles play, the match would be decided in the first two flights as Saffran continued her dominant play with a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles. The Webster native has not lost in one-on-one play this season and extended her winning streak to 10 matches.
Cassidy Bell would clinch the match and punch Fisher's ticket to Saturday's finale with a 6-3, 6-2 win at second singles.
No. 2 Nazareth 5, No. 3 Sage 1 Second-seeded Nazareth (6-3) advanced to Saturday's Empire 8 Conference championship match, as the Golden Flyers knocked off Sage, 5-1, in the tournament semifinals.
Seniors
Brooke Murphy and
Maelah Nadeau each won matches at singles and doubles for the Golden Flyers Friday. The two teamed up to form Nazareth's top doubles tandem and defeated the Gators' top pair of Abbey Clobridge and Sadie Dunne, 8-3.
Nadeau later outlasted Clobridge to take a three-set match at first singles 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Murphy played st second singles and topped Sage's Rebecca Jackson 7-6, 6-2.
Sophomore
Lauren Carr also took a point at third singles with a straight-set triumph over Dunne 6-1, 6-1. Nazareth also gained a point at third doubles as junior
Marissa Towers teamed with freshman
Theresa Hecht for an 8-7 win over Sage's Molly Cochrane and Alison Trudo. The Golden Flyers won the tiebreaker to take a 2-1 lead into singles play.
About Saturday's Championship
St. John Fisher will take on second-seeded Nazareth College at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Mendon Racquet and Pool Club as the winner of that match will earn the Empire 8's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship, which is slated to begin in May 2020. The Cardinals defeated the Golden Flyers, 6-3, earlier this season for the first time in nearly two decades. Nazareth is looking for its second Empire 8 title in three seasons.
2019 Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Friday, October 18
No. 1 St. John Fisher 5, No. 4 Houghton 0
No. 2 Nazareth 5, No. 3 Sage 1
Saturday, October 19
(Indoors at Mendon Racquet Club)
Championship 10 a.m.
No. 1 St. John Fisher vs. No. 2 Nazareth
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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