Women's Tennis | 10/14/2025 10:15:59 PM
ROCHESTER, NY – No. 3 seed Nazareth University and No. 5 seed Alfred University advanced to the 2025 Empire 8 Semifinal round after earning first round victories from Nazareth’s Annette Shapiro Tennis Courts on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Nazareth earned a 4-0 win over No. 6 seed Houghton, while Alfred defeated No. 4 seed St. John Fisher, 4-2 under the lights.
Both teams will compete on Friday, Oct. 17 in Empire 8 Semifinal action. Alfred will take on top-seed Hartwick College at 11 a.m., while No. 2 SUNY Geneseo and Nazareth will battle in the second semifinal at 2 p.m. Weather permitting, the weekend matches will be held outside at Wilbur Park in Oneonta. If moved inside, matches will take place at Tri-City Fitness in Latham, NY. Friday’s semifinal winners will meet for the 2025 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship on Saturday.
Hartwick won the regular season match versus Alfred, 7-0 on Sept. 21. Geneseo defeated Nazareth during the regular season, 7-0 on Sept. 16. Geneseo also defeated Nazareth by a score of 5-4 in the Empire 8 Semifinals in 2024.
NO. 5 ALFRED 4, NO. 4 ST. JOHN FISHER 2
The Saxons avenged an earlier 4-3 defeat to Cardinals, coming through in the E8 first round by a score of 4-2. The Saxons improve to 10-4 on the season, while St. John Fisher fell to 5-5.
Alfred came out rolling in doubles play, earning two wins to record the point. Alina Zabihailo and Elizabeth Madsen earned a 6-2 win at first doubles, while Alexis Gits and Allison Windisch garnered a 6-4 win at the third spot.
In singles action, St. John Fisher tied the match at 1-1, as Adriana Colafrancesci earned a 6-0, 6-0 victory at second singles. The Saxons used their depth at fourth, fifth and sixth singles to earn the win, as Becca Eppling recorded a 6-1, 6-4 victory at the No. 4 spot, while Gits earned a 6-2, 6-2 victory at sixth singles.
St. John Fisher’s Lilly Renzi defeated Zabihailo in a 7-5, 7-5 thriller at first singles before Windisch sealed the win for Alfred with a 6-4, 7-5 victory at fifth singles.
NO. 3 NAZARETH 4, NO. 6 HOUGHTON 0
Nazareth advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament Semifinals with a 4-0 win over No. 6 Houghton. Nazareth improved to 8-4, while Houghton fell to 4-9.
Isabella Iannitti and
Paige Masrouri picked up Nazareth's first win of the afternoon with a 6-2 victory at third doubles.
Kenna Ellis and
Catherine Zak clinched the doubles decision for the Golden Flyers next, taking down Houghton's top doubles pairing, 6-2.
Zak, Cioni and Iannitti then registered straight-set wins in their respective singles positions to claim a 4-0 quarterfinal victory for Nazareth. Zak earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at first singles, while Cioni earned a 6-0, 6-2 victory at fourth doubles. Iannitti clinched the win for Nazareth with a 6-0, 6-3 victory at sixth singles.
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).
2025 Empire 8 Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Tuesday, October 14 – First Round (at Higher Seed – both matches at Nazareth, Indoor or Outdoor)
No. 3 Nazareth University defeated No. 6 Houghton University, 4-0 – BOX SCORE
No. 5 Alfred University defeated No. 4 St. John Fisher University, 4-2
Friday, October 17 – Semifinals at (hosted by Hartwick College)
Indoor – Tri City Fitness in Latham, NY. 944 Loudon Rd, Latham, NY 12110
Outdoor – Wilbur Park, Albert Morris Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820
No. 1 Hartwick College vs. No. 5 Alfred – 11 a.m.
No. 2 SUNY Geneseo vs. No. 3 Nazareth – 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 18 – Championship at (hosted by Hartwick College)
Indoor – Tri City Fitness in Latham, NY. 944 Loudon Rd, Latham, NY 12110
Outdoor – Wilbur Park, Albert Morris Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – 2 p.m.