Women's Tennis | 3/28/2021 5:37:23 PM
Six teams will vie for the 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place from Tuesday, May 30 to Saturday, April 3, with all matches played at the higher seed. Nazareth College is the regular season champion and top-seed, while St. John Fisher is looking to defend its 2019 league title.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place May 24-30 at the Bizantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, CA.
Final 2021 Empire 8 Spring Women’s Tennis Championship Seeds
#1 – Nazareth (6-0)
#2 – St. John Fisher (5-1)
#3 – Utica (4-2)
#4 – Houghton (3-3)
#5 – Russell Sage (2-4)
#6 – Hartwick (1-5)
****No spectators will be allowed per New York State guidelines.****
2021 Empire 8 Spring Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Tuesday, March 30 – First Round
(Indoor)
#3 Utica College vs. #6 Hartwick College – 6 p.m.
#4 Houghton College vs. #5 Russell Sage College -
TBA
Thursday, April 1 - Semifinals
(Indoor)
#1 Nazareth College vs. winner of #4 Houghton/#5 Russell Sage – 4 p.m.
#2 St. John Fisher College vs. winner of #3 Utica/#6 Hartwick –
6:30 p.m. (at Mendon Tennis Center)
Saturday, April 3 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
Format: Dual match is played until decision (5 points) Three doubles matches are followed by six singles matches. No-ad scoring for both singles and doubles matches. Singles matches will play two out of three sets. Doubles play eight pro set with a twelve-point tiebreaker at 7-all.
Nazareth enters the tournament as the top seed and won the 2021 Empire 8 Spring regular season title after going 6-0 in league play. St. John Fisher, the two seed and 2019 E8 Champions, finished 5-1 in league play to earn the first round bye along with Nazareth. The Golden Flyers earned the regular season crown on the final day of the regular season after a 7-2 win over St. John Fisher.
Utica is the No. 3 seed after finishing 4-2 in conference play, while Houghton finished 3-3 to garner the fourth seed. Russell Sage finished 2-4 in league play to earn the fifth seed, while Hartwick is the sixth seed.
The Golden Flyers enjoyed immense success during the regular season, winning 32 of 36 singles matches and 16 of 18 doubles contests. Aliya Guzman is a perfect 6-0 at first singles and has teamed with Brooke Murphy to 6-0 at first doubles. Caroline Keegan is also 5-0 at fourth singles. The Golden Flyers are looking for their fourth Empire 8 title, having also won in 2001, 2002 and most recently in 2017.
St. John Fisher is in the Empire 8 tournament for the fourth straight season and is looking for its second straight league championship. The Cardinals went 5-1 in league play. Mikayla Santulli, the 2019 Empire 8 Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player has been a mainstay at first singles for the Cardinals in 2021. Kathryn Strait and Valerie Morgans are key contributors as well.
Utica has relied on a strong group of newcomers to earn the third seed, having finished 4-2 in league play. The trio of first-year standouts Ellen Collie, Ellen Lyga and Morgan Willis are a combined 16-1 in singles play. Lyga and Collie have combined to go 5-1 at first doubles, while Willis and Bianca Bockhaus are 5-1 at second doubles. Utica is in the E8 Tournament for the first time since 2006 and is looking for their first ever postseason win. The Pioneers defeated their first round opponent, Hartwick, 9-0 on March 20.
Houghton claimed the fourth seed in the tournament for the second straight season. The Highlanders have won three straight matches entering the league tournament. Elise Swanson, Erin Haley, Chloe Esch, Alicia Cline, Maddison Soth, Tessa Brown and Sophia Yescott have represented the Highlanders in singles play this season. The Highlanders are making their third appearance in the league championship tournament, also advancing in 2017 and 2019. The Highlanders defeated their first round opponent, Russell Sage, 6-3 on March 20.
Russell Sage is making its third straight appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament. The Gators went 2-4 during the regular season and 4-2 in league play. Sage ended the regular season with a 9-0 win over Hartwick on Oct. 13. Kaitlin Banks, Taylor Gillespie, Claire Connolly and Chloe Gore are mainstays at the first four singles and two doubles positions for the Gators.
Hartwick advanced to the E8 Tournament after defeating Alfred on the final day of the regular season. First-year standout Jade Killikelly is 3-3 at first singles for the Hawks, while junior Victoria Wilson earned two wins at second singles. Killikelly and Wilson are 3-3 at first singles. Hartwick is making its first E8 Tournament appearance since 2016 and looking for its first postseason win since 2000.
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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