Showing that they can quickly bounce back from disappointment, the Skaneateles girls tennis doubles team of Katherine Hill and Megan Holleran advanced to this weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship tournament.
Hill and Holleran did so by prevailing in the Section III state qualifier, held at Drumlins Country Club on Thursday and Saturday, culminating in a final that was nothing short of sweet payback.
Less than two weeks earlier, Skaneateles had lost to CBA 4-3 in the sectional Class B team final at Utica Parkway Courts. The key match was in first doubles, where Hill and Holleran dropped a three-set classic to the Brothers’ tandem of Julie Thomson-Basha and Emily Norkett.
As fate would have it, both doubles teams would win their respective state qualifier semifinal matches on Saturday, insuring automatic berths in the state tournament at Eastside Racquet Club in Manlius.
That meant a rematch in the finals at Drumlins. Hill and Holleran lost the first set 7-5, but pulled out the second set 6-4, then beat Thomson-Bash and Norkett again 6-4 in the third set to win this time around.
Aside from them, Ashleigh Caruso and Sarah O’Hara (Liverpool) will represent Section III in the state doubles tournament. Anke Von Hanstein (Manlius-Pebble Hill), Claire Minnoe (Auburn) and Sienna Susko (Fayetteville-Manlius) are the singles players.
