Women's Tennis | 10/13/2026 7:25:46 PM
No. 4 seed Nazareth University and No. 6 seed Alfred University advanced to the 2026 Empire 8 Semifinal round after earning first round victories on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Nazareth earned a 4-1 win over No. 5 seed SUNY Brockport, while Alfred rallied to defeat the two-time defending Empire 8 Champions, No. 3 seed Hartwick College, 4-3.
Both teams will compete on Friday, Oct. 16 in Empire 8 Semifinal action. Nazareth will take on top-seed SUNY Geneseo at 11 a.m., while No. 2 St. John Fisher University and Alfred will battle in the second semifinal at 2 p.m. Weather permitting, the weekend matches will be held outside at SUNY Geneseo If moved inside, matches will take place at Houghton University's Kerr-Pegula Field House. Friday’s semifinal winners will meet for the 2026 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship on Saturday.
SUNY Geneseo won the regular season match versus Nazareth, 7-0 on Oct. 9. Alfred defeated St. John Fisher during the regular season, 6-1 on Oct. 3. Geneseo is looking for its first E8 title, while St. John Fisher is attempting to win its first E8 Championship since 2019. Nazareth is attempting to win its seventh E8 crown, while Alfred is looking to win its first league crown since 2023.
NO. 4 NAZARETH 4, NO. 5 SUNY BROCKPORT 1
Nazareth improved to 7-3 overall by securing a 4-1 victory over No. 5 seed SUNY Brockport (7-5) on a steamy Tuesday afternoon at the Annette Shapiro Tennis Courts, advancing to the conference semifinals for the 10th consecutive season.
Lily Brady and Anna Spencer earned a 6-2 victory at No. 1 doubles, while Victoria Cioni and Aiyanah Reed posted a 6-0 shutout at No. 2 doubles to help the Golden Flyers secure the doubles point and the early 1-0 lead. Brady continued her strong performance at No. 1 singles, winning 6-1, 6-0 over the Golden Eagles top opponent to give Nazareth another point. Spencer added a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 2 singles, while Paige Masrouri clinched the team victory with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles.
Kate Tabor earned Brockport's lone point at sixth singles, a 6-2, 6-1 win. Gianna Masker was up 7-5, 5-0 at fifth singles as the match concluded.
NO. 6 ALFRED 4, NO. 3 HARTWICK 3
The No. 6 Alfred University women's tennis team went to No. 3 Hartwick College and took down the Hawks 4-3 on Tuesday evening. Alfred (7-6) went tooth and nail with the hosts and two-time defending E8 Champs. After falling on Saturday at the Saxon Tennis Courts 7-0 to Hartwick (6-7), the Saxons avenged that loss in dramatic fashion to move on to the final four of the Empire 8 Tournament.
Alfred would start the afternoon by snatching the doubles point from their #2 and #3 positions. Elizabeth Madsen (Portland, OR/Grant) and Camryn Moore (Prattsburgh, NY/Prattsburgh Central) won from the #2 spot 7-6 with a 7-1 tiebreak.
Alexis Gits (Irondequoit, NY/Irondequoit) and Allison Windisch (Pittsford, NY/Sutherland) also came back in their doubles match 7-5. It would not be the last time either of them forced a comeback victory.
The depth of the Saxons would again provide them the three single points needed to get the team win. Moore swept 6-2, 6-3 in the six spot to put AU up 2-0 at the time.
Hartwick would get the next three single points from the top three positions of Samantha Lantzy, Tehani Courte, and Gianna Leggieri, only needing one more singles win to advance themselves. The Saxons dug deep behind Gits, finishing the penultimate match of the day with a 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 comeback victory.
All attention turned to Windisch in the four spot to close out the final point for the visiting Saxons. The senior captain took the first set 6-4 before falling 2-6 in the second set.
Windisch would battle in the final set, coming back from 5-4 down to force a tiebreak seventh point. The tiebreaker went back and forth, needing to win by two in the end. AU would get the final two points to come out with an incredible 10-8 tiebreak win to earn the final point.
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).
2026 Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Tuesday, October 13 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 6 Alfred University defeated No. 3 Hartwick College, 4-3 – BOX SCORE
No. 4 Nazareth University defeated No. 5 SUNY Brockport, 4-1 – BOX SCORE
Friday, October 16 – Semifinals (hosted by SUNY Geneseo)
Outdoor – SUNY Geneseo Tennis Courts
Indoor – Houghton University
No. 4 Nazareth University at No. 1 SUNY Geneseo – 11 a.m.
No. 2 St. John Fisher University vs. No. 6 Alfred University – 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 17 Championship (hosted by SUNY Geneseo)
Outdoor – SUNY Geneseo Tennis Courts
Indoor – Houghton University
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – 1 p.m.