Women's Tennis | 3/27/2021 6:30:00 PM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Host Nazareth outlasted St. John Fisher in a key Empire 8 women's tennis match Saturday as the Golden Flyers swept all three doubles matches on their way to a 7-2 win over the Cardinals at the Golisano Training Center.
Nazareth improved to 6-0 both overall and in conference matches, while Fisher dropped to 5-1 and 5-1. The Golden Flyers were able to clinch the top seed for the upcoming E8 Tournament, which begins Tuesday. The top six teams qualify and Nazareth and Fisher will receive byes for the first round. Semifinal matches will be played Thursday and the championship match Saturday.
Saturday's match was closer than the final score would indicate since Nazareth won two of the doubles matches in tiebreakers and one of the singles matches.
Nazareth prevailed at second doubles behind the team of Hannah Chesner and Caroline Keegan that was victorious 8-7 with a 7-5 tiebreaker. Likewise, at third doubles Nazareth won 8-7 with a 7-5 tiebreaker with the tandem of Theresa Hecht and Marissa Towers. Nazareth's third doubles point was secured by Aliya Guzman and Brooke Murphy, which won decisively, 8-1.
In singles, Nazareth also won a close match at #2 as Murphy outlasted Fisher's Kathryn Strait 8-7 with a 7-3 tiebreaker. Guzman, Keegan and Hecht also earned singles points, while Rachel Cook lost in a tiebreaker at fifth singles, falling 8-7 (7-3) to Fisher's Jacqueline Chouinard.