Women's Tennis | 10/13/2023 2:56:21 PM
HOUGHTON, NY – No. 2 seed Alfred University and No. 4 seed St. John Fisher University will meet for the 2023 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship after earning dramatic semifinal victories on Friday from Houghton University. The Cardinals earned a 5-4 win over top-seed and defending E8 Champion Hartwick College, while Alfred rallied to defeat No. 3 seed Nazareth University, 5-4. The 2023 Empire 8 Championship will take place from Houghton at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The winner of Saturday’s Empire 8 Championship match will earn the automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, which begins May 10. St. John Fisher made history by becoming the first No. 4 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in semifinal action in Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championship Tournament history. The Saxons enters the E8 title match with a 12-2 mark, while St. John Fisher is 4-6.
Both Alfred and St. John Fisher are looking to earn their second Empire 8 Championship. Alfred won its lone title in 2004, while St. John Fisher emerged victorious in 2019. Alfred defeated St. John Fisher by a score of 6-3 earlier in the regular season on Sept. 23. The Saxons have won the last two matches in the series history after Fisher won five straight from 2017-2021.
No. 4 St. John Fisher 5, No. 1 Hartwick 4
The Cardinals made Empire 8 history by becoming the first No. 4 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the league tournament. St. John Fisher won all three doubles matches to jump out to 3-0 lead. The Hawks won four of the first five singles matches before
Abby Garvey won the deciding point at fifth singles and send the Cardinals to their third E8 title match in program history, all in the last five seasons.
All three double matches were close and competitive, but Fisher was able to secure all three victories.
Maddy Langley and
Kathryn Strait won the first doubles by a score of 8-6 and then the duos of
Eliana Kelly/
Abby Garvey and
Madison Galvin/
Lilly Renzi won their respective matches 8-5.
The Hawks battled back to win the first two singles matches, as Jade Killikelly and Lily Vanuga rolled at second and fourth singles, respectively before
Lilly Renzi of Fisher defeated Ryann Ashby of Hartwick 6-0, 6-1 at third singles to put Fisher ahead 4-2, with three singles matches left to play.
Phoebe Olson earned a straight set win at first singles for the Hawks and Maggie VanValkenburgh tied the match with a victory at sixth singles. Garvey would earn the deciding match and make history for the Cardinals, winning over Colleen Marsh in straight sets 6-1, 6-0.
Hartwick, the defending Empire 8 Champion, falls to 9-4 in 2023. The Hawks had their 15-match winning streak against E8 foes snapped
No. 2 Alfred 5, No. 3 Nazareth 4
Down 4-3 and facing elimination, No. 2 seed Alfred stormed back, as Abigail Call garnered a three-set win at fifth singles and Elizabeth Madsen did the same at fourth singles to lift the Saxons to a 5-4 win over No. 3 seed Nazareth in the second E8 semifinal match.
Looking to avenge a regular season defeat, the Golden Flyers won the a pair of doubles matches as Catherine Zak and Kenna Ellis earned an 8-5 win at the first position, while Anna Spencer and Erica Muscato won a tiebreaker (7-3) to garner an 8-7 win at third doubles.
Allison Windisch rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 win at sixth singles to even the match for Alfred. Alina Zabihailo recorded a 6-2, 6-3 win over Zak at first singles for Alfred, while Ellis picked up her second win of the match, 6-4, 6-1 at second singles and Ali Klee earned a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win over Anna Gwozdz at third singles.
Alfred's Call dropped the first set against Spencer, 6-2 before flipping the script and rolling to 6-1, 6-0 wins in the next two sets to even the match at 4-4. Like Call, Madsen dropped her first set at fourth singles to Sarah Stone, 6-3, but rallied, winning the second set, 6-1 and putting Alfred into its second E8 title match in program history with a 6-3 win in the third and final set.
Nazareth was looking to earn its seventh straight appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament championship match. The Golden Flyers drop to 4-4 on the season.
2023 Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championship Tournament Schedule
Friday, October 13 - Semifinals (at Houghton University)
No. 4 St. John Fisher University defeated No. 1 Hartwick College, 5-4 –
BOX SCORE
No. 2 Alfred University defeated No. 3 Nazareth College, 5-4 –
BOX SCORE
Saturday, October 14 - Championship (at Houghton University)
No. 2 Alfred vs. No. 4 St. John Fisher – 1 p.m
.
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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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