Women's Tennis | 5/3/2023 12:39:00 PM
ONEONTA, NY – The Hartwick Hawks Women's Tennis Team made history in October, winning the program's first Empire 8 Championship. The victory gave them an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. On Monday, the record-breaking squad found out their tournament destination and opponent. Hartwick will travel to host site and top seed in the region, Middlebury College.
The Hawks will take on the Dutchmen from Lebanon Valley College (LVC) on Friday, May 5 at 10 a.m. in the opening round. LVC ran through the MAC Commonwealth conference with an undefeated mark and defeated Stevenson 9-0 in the championship match to earn their automatic bid. Overall, the Dutchmen are 16-3.
The winner will advance to the second round where they will go against Middlebury College at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, and the regional championship game will take place on Sunday, May 7 at noon.
Hartwick enters the contest with a 16-2 record and a 7-0 record in conference play. The 16-win mark is a new program-high after the 2021-22 squad broke the record last year with 12 overall wins.
Leading the way for the Hawks are Jade Killikelly (Jamaica, N.Y.) and Lily Vanuga (Springville, N.Y.) who have both posted a 15-2 overall record and an undefeated record in conference play. Killikelly has been a mainstay this season at either second or third singles, while Vanuga played the bulk of her matches at fitth and sixth singles.
In doubles play, Damita Bollers (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Killikelly have been the most consistent tandem, playing 16 matches together, going 11-5 overall and 5-1 in Empire 8 matches; all at the first doubles spot.
Other players to watch in the opening round match are Ryann Ashby (Malta, N.Y.) who went 6-1 in Empire 8 play, mainly at the fourth singles spot. Colleen Marsh (Marcellus, N.Y.) was also a consistent performer for the Hawks, posting a 12-3 overall record between the fourth and fifth singles spots.
"While we have been humbled by the fact that we have received several All-Conference honors," praised Head Coach, Samantha Butcher, "it has taken the entire team to get us where we are. It's a tremendous honor to represent the Empire 8 in the NCAA Tournament and we have enjoyed the entire journey of getting to this point in our season."
Killikelly, Vanuga, Bollers, Ashby, and Marsh all received recognition on one of the All-Empire 8 teams.
"We're excited to have the opportunity to compete with some of the top teams in the region and nation for the first time in program history," commented Butcher. "All year our focus has been on preparation and consistency. We're looking forward to seeing how far our hard work can carry us."
The Hawks and the Dutchmen have one common opponent this season in Wilkes University. Hartwick and LVC both defeated the Colonels 7-2 in non-conference play.
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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