With their regular seasons winding down, the Chittenango and Cazenovia girls tennis teams went head-to-head last Monday afternoon on the Lakers’ home courts.
But even though it was the road team, the Bears emerged with a 6-1 victory, claiming all three singles points and working hard for points in doubles, too.
To begin Chittenango’s singles run, Anna Rooney shut out Clare Douglas 6-0, 6-0. Then Brooke DiFlorio worked past Baylee Pierce 6-1, 6-1 as Delaney Dawkins got a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Julia Knutsen.
Cazenovia did get on the board in doubles when Alex Galle and Emma Schwartz rolled past Riley Ellis and Sarah Lanphear 6-0, 6-1, but the rest of the doubles matches went to the Bears.
In three sets, Abbie Austin and Allison Soulier rallied past Nova Berger and Nina Royer 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, while Leah DeMauro and Jessica Hallock outlasted Regan Dauenhauer and Mae Sayre 6-4, 6-7, 10-8. In two sets, Chittenango’s Brianna Crystal and Shannon Pitt got past Katie Pavelchak and Emma Thornton 6-2, 6-4.
Following this, Chittenango found out that it had the no. 4 seed in a 10-team field for the Section III Class B team tournament, and would face no. 5 seed Carthage in the quarterfinals early this week, the winner to get top seed New Hartford or Whitesboro in the semifinals.
Cazenovia, meanwhile, was in the Class C sectional bracket as the no. 8 seed, looking to knock off no. 9 seed Canastota to set up a quarterfinal against top seed Clinton.
And this didn’t prove too tough as the Lakers blanked the Raiders 7-0. Berger, in first singles, won 6-4, 6-0 over Crystal VanOrnam, with Royer handling Emmalee Warner 6-3, 6-2 and Douglas topping Skyler Donley 7-5, 6-2.
Only one of the four doubles matches went to three sets as Dauenhauer and Sayre rallied past Gabbie Edwards and Sierra Tucci 6-7, 7-5, 10-6, with the other matches going just two sets.
Galle and Pierce wasted little time beating Alyse Stockbridge and Valona Whitehead 6-0, 6-1, while Knusten and Schwartz paired up to get past Allison Ball and Gracie Durant 6-4, 6-1. Pavelchak and Thornton won 6-1, 6-2 over Adeline Debrucque and Odell Kaitlyn.
The winner between Cazenovia and Clinton would get Marcellus or Jordan-Elbridge in the Class C sectional semifinals.
