Women's Tennis | 10/11/2023 8:55:11 AM
Hartwick College, Alfred University, Nazareth University and St. John Fisher University will vie for the 2023 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14, hosted by Hartwick and held at Houghton University in Houghton, NY. Top-seed Hartwick will face No. 4 seed St. John Fisher in the first semifinal Friday at 12 p.m., while No. 2 seed Alfred will take on third-seeded Nazareth in the second semifinal match at 3 p.m. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2023 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. Hartwick is looking to repeat as league champs.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place starting May 10-12. The 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Finals take place from May 20-27 at the Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center in St. Louis, MO.
Hartwick enters the tournament as the top seed for the second straight season and is looking to earn its second E8 title after finishing a perfect 6-0 in league play this season. The No. 2 seed Saxons of Alfred are looking for their first league crown after going 5-1 in E8 play, while Nazareth, the No. 3 seed, finished 4-2 in league play in 2023, Fourth-seeded St. John Fisher was 2-4 in E8 competition.
Hartwick is making its 13th appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament and is looking for its second straight E8 crown after defeating Nazareth in last year’s title match. The Hawks are currently 9-3 overall and 6-0 in league play, having squandered just a combined six points in six E8 contests. Jade Killikelly is 9-2 overall and 6-0 in E8 play at second singles, while recording a 7-4 record at first doubles with Phoebe Olson. Olson has won seven matches at first singles as well. Ryann Ashby has won five matches at third singles, while Lily Vanuga has also won five singles contests. Colleen Marsh and Maggie Van Valkenburgh have also excelled at fifth and sixth singles, respectively. Marsh and Gianna Leggieri are 6-0 at third doubles.
Alfred has enjoyed its best season as an Empire 8 member, earning the No. 2 seed for the first time in 20 years. The Saxons are in the E8 Tourney for the eighth time overall and are looking for their first postseason since 2005. The Saxons enter the tournament with a 10-2 overall mark and finished 5-1 in E8 play. Sophomore Alina Zabihailo is 9-2 at first singles, while fourth singles standout Elizabeth Madsen is 10-2. Macy Youngberg, Anna Gwodsz, Abigail Call and Allison Windisch have been mainstays in the singles lineup this season. Zabihailo and Youngberg are 11-2 at first doubles, while Call and Madsen are 9-3 at second doubles.
Nazareth is looking to win its seventh league championship in program history. The Golden Flyers went 4-2 in league play during the regular season. Catherine Zak has enjoyed a strong season to date with a 5-1 mark at first singles in league play. Kenna Ellis is also 5-1 in league play at second singles. Ali Klee, Sarah Stone, Anna Spencer and Aly Agnello have also started in the singles lineup. Zak and Ellis are 5-1 in league play at first doubles.
St. John Fisher clinched an Empire 8 postseason berth on the final weekend of the regular season, knocking off Houghton, 9-0 on Oct 7, while needing Utica and Russell Sage to both lose on the final day to win a three-team tiebreaker. The Cardinals will look to win their second E8 title. Kathryn Strait has played first singles for the Cardinals in 2023, while Maddy Langley is a mainstay at second singles. Lily Renzi is 5-1 in league play, primarily at third singles, while Lily Miller is unbeaten in E8 play, shuffling between fourth and sixth singles.
Both semifinal matchups feature regular season rematches from late September. Alfred knocked off Nazareth, 6-3 on Sept. 24, while Hartwick defeated St. John Fisher, 7-2 on Sept. 30.
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).
2023 Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Friday, October 13 – Semifinals at Houghton University
(Indoor or Outdoor)
#1 Hartwick College vs. #4 St. John Fisher University - 12 p.m.
#2 Alfred University vs. #3 Nazareth University -
3 p.m.
Saturday, October 14 – Championship at Houghton University
(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 and
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