Women's Tennis | 10/18/2024 7:01:57 PM
TROY, NY – No. 1 seed Hartwick College and No. 2 seed SUNY Geneseo will meet for the 2024 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship after earning semifinal victories on Friday from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Hawks earned a 5-1 win over No. 4 seed Russell Sage College, while Geneseo defeated No. 3 seed Nazareth University, 5-4. The 2024 Empire 8 Championship will take place from RPI at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The winner of Saturday’s Empire 8 Championship match will earn the automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, which begins May 9. Hartwick enters the E8 Championship match with an 11-1 mark, while SUNY Geneseo is 8-1.
Hartwick is looking to earn its second Empire 8 Championship in the last three years, while Geneseo is in the title match in its first season in the league. Hartwick won the regular season matchup between the two institutions, 6-3 on Sept. 7.
No. 1 HARTWICK 5, No. 4 RUSSELL SAGE 1
The Hawks moved to 11-1 on the season, winning two of three doubles matches before ending the contest with three quick singles wins.
Samantha Lantzy and Lily Vanuga got the Hawks right on the board with an 8-0 win at third doubles over Emma Vander Baan and Jessica Korbieh of Sage. Hartwick’s first doubles duo of Alexandra Krasinska and Phoebe Olson rallied from an early deficit to pick up an 8-4 win over Emma Nuzzi and Tirzah Spivey.
The Gators would earn their lone point in dramatic fashion, as the second doubles duo of Marian Aguirre and Olivia Monaco defeated Ryann Ashby and Gianna Leggieri, 8-7, taking the tiebreaker by an 8-6 score.
From there, Hartwick won three quick singles matches to earn the team win. Vanuga earned a 6-0, 6-3 win over Monaco at fourth singles, while Leggieri took down Vander Baan, 6-2, 6-0 at sixth singles. Lantzy clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-3 win at the third position.
Russell Sage recorded its best E8 finish in program history, having advanced to the semifinals after defeating No. 5 St. John Fisher, 5-2 on Tuesday in opening round action. The Gators finished the season with an 8-6 mark.
No. 2 SUNY GENESEO 5, No. 3 NAZARETH 4
Geneseo’s Samantha Rava earned the decisive point, rallying to a earn a three-set win at second singles to lift the No. 2 seed Knights to a 5-4 win over No. 3 Nazareth in the second E8 semifinal.
Nazareth’s Kenna Ellis won the first set, 6-3 before Rava came storming back to take the second set, 6-1. Rava seized the momentum and took the third set by the same 6-1 score.
After taking a 2-1 lead in doubles play, the No. 2 seed Knights held off a furious Nazareth rally in earning the win over the Golden Flyers.
The Knights got off to a quick lead, as Samantha Rava and Rachel Molloy earned an 8-3 win over Catherine Zak and Ellis at first doubles. Almost instantaneously, Nazareth tied the match, as the third doubles duo of Anna Spencer and Victoria Cioni garnered an 8-2 win over Talia Wutz and Katie Kujawa.
At second doubles, Natalie Pipes and Joann Catalano swung the lead back into Geneseo’s favor with an 8-5 win over Ali Klee and Sarah Stone.
As singles play began, Nazareth jumped out and tried to seize the momentum, winning the first set in four of the six matches. Sarah Stone knotted the match at 2-2 with a decisive 6-3, 6-0 win over Talia Wutz at third singles.
Pipes would defeat Zak at first singles, 6-3, 6-3 to give the lead back to Geneseo. Molloy earned Geneseo’s fourth point with a 6-4, 6-3 win at fourth singles over Cioni.
Nazareth responded to tie match at 4-4, as Ali Klee picked up a 6-3, 7-5 win over Kujawa at fifth singles and Spencer defeated Catalano at sixth singles, 6-1, 1-6, 6-0.
The Golden Flyers fell to 8-5 on the season. Nazareth advanced to the E8 Semifinals after defeating SUNY Brockport, 5-0 in opening round action on Wednesday.
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).
2024 Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Tuesday, October 15 – First Round (at Utica University)
No. 4 Russell Sage College defeated No. 5 St. John Fisher University, 5-2 -- BOX SCORE
Wednesday, October 16 – First Round
No. 3 Nazareth University defeated No. 6 SUNY Brockport, 5-0 -- BOX SCORE
Friday, October 18 – Semifinals at (hosted by Hartwick College)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Sharp Courts, Burdett Rd., Troy, NY 12180
No. 1 Hartwick College defeated No. 4 Russell Sage, 5-1 -- BOX SCORE
No. 2 SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 3 Nazareth, 5-4 --
BOX SCORE
Saturday, October 19 – Championship at (hosted by Hartwick College)
Outdoor - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Sharp Courts, Burdett Rd., Troy, NY 12180
Indoor - Tri City Fitness in Latham, NY. 944 Loudon Rd, Latham, NY 12110
No. 1 Hartwick vs. No. 2 SUNY Geneseo – 2 p.m. -- LIVE SCORING/VIDEO
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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