Women's Tennis | 10/11/2022 8:53:50 AM
Hartwick College, Nazareth College, Houghton University and Alfred University will vie for the 2022 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place on Friday, Oct. 14 and Saturday, Oct. 15, hosted by Hartwick and held at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. Top-seed Hartwick will face No. 4 seed Alfred in the first semifinal Friday at 11 a.m., while No. 2 seed Nazareth will take on third-seeded Houghton in the second semifinal match at 2 p.m. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2022 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place starting May 5-7. The 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Finals take place from May 14-22 at the USTA National Campus (Collegiate Center) in Orlando, Fla.
Hartwick enters the tournament as the top seed for the first time in program history and are looking to earn its first E8 title after finishing a perfect 7-0 in league play this season. The No. 2 seed Golden Flyers of Nazareth are looking for their third straight Empire 8 title, having finished 6-1 in league play. Houghton, the No. 3 seed, finished 5-2 in league play in 2022, while fourth-seeded Alfred was 4-3.
Hartwick is making its 12th appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament after winning its first postseason match in 21 years, while advancing to the championship in 2021. The Hawks are a perfect 11-0 during the regular season and 7-0 in league play, having squandered just 11 points all season. Jade Killikelly is 11-0, split between second and third singles this season, while recording an 8-2 record at first doubles with Damita Bollers. Bollers has won six matches at first singles as well. Phoebe Olson is 8-1 at second singles, while Ryann Ashby is 8-1 split between third and fourth singles, while Colleen Marsh is 9-2 and Lily Vanuga has won all 10 of her singles contests. The duo of Maddi Morrison and Maggie Van Valkenburgh is 11-0 playing primarily at third doubles, while Olson has partnered with Ashby and Vanuga at various times during the year to be 11-0 at second doubles.
Nazareth is looking to win its third consecutive Empire 8 title and seventh league championship in program history. The Golden Flyers went 6-1 in league play during the regular season and enter the tourney 7-1 overall. Junior Aliya Guzman, the Spring 2021 Empire 8 Player and Rookie of the Year and All-E8 first team pick last season, has continued her dominance in league play this fall, with a 7-0 mark in league play at first singles and 6-1 mark at first doubles, teaming with Claire Pullen. Guzman, Catherine Zak, Pullen, Scarlett Wagner, Lily Bulkeley and Katelyn Speth have excelled in singles play, combining to post a 36-6 record against E8 foes in 2022.
Houghton advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament in dramatic fashion, defeating St. John Fisher, 5-4 on Saturday to formally clinch the third seed and avoid dropping to as low as fifth. Arija Grant earned the decisive point for Houghton at sixth singles. Elise Swanson, Chloe Esch, Marilynn Amborski, Alexandra Leary, Garlana Valentin and Grant and have represented the Highlanders in singles play this season. Grant and Esch went 4-2 in league play this season. The first doubles duo of Swanson and Esch also went 4-2 in league play. The Highlanders are making their fourth straight appearance in the league championship tournament and fifth trip overall.
Alfred clinched an Empire 8 postseason berth on the final day of the regular season, knocking off Russell Sage in a virtual elimination match by a score of 9-0. The Saxons are in the tournament for the first time since 2018 and seventh time overall. Alfred last postseason win came in 2005. The Saxons enter the tournament with a 9-3 overall mark and finished 4-3 in E8 play. The duo of Macy Youngberg and Alina Zabihalo are a combined 25-3 at singles this season. Zabihalo went 6-1 in league play at first singles, while Youngberg went 7-0 at fourth singles. Abigail Call finished 5-2 at fifth singles. Eve Liu, Anna Gwozdz and Alexis Giordano have also been mainstays in the singles lineup this season. All three doubles teams from Alfred were 5-2 in league play this season.
Both semifinal matchups feature rematches from the final weekend of the regular season. Hartwick defeated Alfred, 6-3 on Oct. 8, while Nazareth shutout Houghton, 9-0 a day earlier.
This weekend's championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2022 Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Friday, October 14 – Semifinals at Ithaca College
(Indoor or Outdoor)
#1 Hartwick College vs. #4 Alfred University - 12 p.m.
#2 Nazareth College vs. #3 Houghton University -
3 p.m.
Saturday, October 15 – Championship at Ithaca College
(Indoor or Outdoor)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – 1 p.m.
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.
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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