SYRACUSE – Having swept the Section III Division I titles on the singles and doubles side, the Baldwinsville girls tennis team went after more in the Section III state qualifying tournament – and got it.
Not only did the Bees end up with two singles finalists, it also managed to get its top doubles team into the field of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships.
Section III was slotted four singles spots in the state tournament, so as long as no. 2 seed Mira Nadzan and no. 3 seed Alya Kalfass made it to the semifinals they would advance.
Both got there without any stress, Nadzan shutting out both Camden’s Lainie Liberatore and Christian Brothers Academy’s Rowan Doyle in 6-0, 6-0 romps as Kalfass won 6-0, 6-2 over Addison Zieler (Skaneateles) and earned her own 6-0, 6-0 win over Whitesboro’s Lauren Levitano.
Someone had to win their semifinal, which Nadzan did 6-1, 6-0, leading to a championship match where, against Jamesville-DeWitt’s top seed Mona Farah, they played two close sets but Farah prevailed 6-4, 6-4. Kalfass rebounded for a 6-2, 6-1 third-place win over Skaneateles’ Eva DeJesus.
Meanwhile, in doubles Elaina Nesbitt and Sonia Nadzan also had the top seed, but needed three victories to go to the state tournament since only the top three finishers advanced in this bracket.
A 6-1, 6-3 opening-round win over Maddie Barretta and Kaylee French (Oneida) was followed by Nesbitt and Nadzan shutting out Abigail Eisel and Hailee Ferguson (Beaver River) 6-0, 6-0, but in the semifinals the no. 4 seed from Fayetteville-Manlius, Smareen Mangat and Sadie Toole, defeated Nesbitt and Nadzan 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
Thus, Nesbitt and Nadzan had to win their third-place match against F-M’s other duo, Kaitlyn McLain and Julia Kim, and in just two sets the B’ville pair pulled it off 6-4, 6-1.
Much of the state tournament field involves the Bees and Hornets since Shreya Bhattacharya and Lindsey Chong were the other finalists in doubles.
Kalfass, Nesbitt and the Nadzan sisters all begin play Monday morning in the NYSPHSAA tournament, held on the grand stage of the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
