CENTRAL NEW YORK – Given their long history of success, the area’s high school girls tennis teams expected nothing less than a pile of victories in their opening week of the 2024 season – and mostly got them.
Jamesville-DeWitt began Wednesday by defeating Central Square 6-1. Mona Farah blanked Paige Westfall 6-0, 6-0 in first singles and Ella Azria topped Pela Polmiaszek in two sets 6-4, 6-4.
Going three sets in doubles, Anna Hasegawa and Kayva Arasu outlasted Jenna Ibrahim and Avery McVay 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, while the teams of Yara Farah-Asha Viswantahan, Olivia Quackenbush-Jaeda Robinson and Kendall Cabiles-Gaby Garcia Thomas all won in straight sets.
Taking on Auburn Friday afternoon the Red Rams had to work hard to push past the Maroons 4-3, needing in doubles a three-set win as Quackenbush and Robinson topped Madison Fredericksen and Emma Sroka 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
Hasegawa and Cabiles paired up to edge Sadie Morin and Olivia Schwab 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, with Viswanathan and Yara Farah blanking Samaya Stokes and Addison Lange 6-0, 6-0. Up in singles, Olivia Clark lost a tough 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 12-10 decision to Alice Caruso, but Mona Farah routed Ashlyn Fenbeck 6-0, 6-1.
Christian Brothers Academy leaned heavily on its doubles teams to pull out its season opener Thursday against Skaneateles, ultimately defeating the Lakers 5-2.
Clare Schaefer and Piper Powell paired to beat Katie Danforth and Madelyn Vance 6-1, 6-2, with Monica Fallon and Katrina Ricelli handling Makayla Barron and Georgia Kriedler 6-0, 7-5.
Sadie Wichmann and Claire Ashe got through a first-set tiebreak to beat Addy Pavlus and MaryKate Holst 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, with Madison Evans and Julie Zdep winning 6-1, 6-1 over Millie Wu and Lily Bennett. The lone singles point for CBA came from Sarah Clark, who outlasted Livia Lovenguth 7-5, 6-4.
East Syracuse Minoa got its own 6-1 season-opening win over Fulton, the Spartans seeing Kelly Li rally to win in three sets as Erin Murnane also prevailed in doubles.
Between them, the Spartans’ doubles teams of Sophie Jones-Katelyn Davis, Caroline Sitnik-Lila O’Brien, Jewelianna Hallock-Oso Ikhide and Edith James-Evangline Tsan got all four points from the Red Dragons.
Going up against West Genesee on Friday afternoon, ESM lost 5-2, swept by the Wildcats in doubles but pulling out singles points when Li, again going three sets, topped Kailyn Drury 6-3, 6-7 (8-6), 10-3 and Murnane beat Ava Amodio 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). Rhiannon Cobb saw an early lead get away in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Keira Vrabel.
Manlius Pebble Hill also opened Wednesday and also emerged victorious, beating Chittenango 5-2 with strong singles wins by Amitees Fazeli over Evelynn Keville 6-1, 6-0 and Jenny He over Molly Uryniak 6-0, 6-2.
The Trojans also topped the Bears in three of four doubles matches. Sophia Dowhy and Nia Lewis needed three sets to push past Campbell Reed and Hope Rock 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, with Amy Walsh and Mira Zhang getting past Sagie Burton and Erica Ezzo 6-2, 7-6 as Rose Fallon and Ferial Migeed handled Leah Ezzo and Molly Douglas 6-2, 6-2.
