By winning their most pressure-packed match of the season, Liverpool girls tennis doubles stars Ashleigh Caruso and Sarah O’Hara advanced to play in this weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship tournament.
During the Section III state qualifier at Drumlins Country Club, Caruso, a senior, and O’Hara, a junior, worked their way to the semifinals, only to lose in that round.
So it came down to Caruso and O’Hara needing to beat Maria Mintskovsky and Katie Muller (Fayetteville-Manlius) for third place, and the final berth in the state tournament. In straight sets, Caruson and O’Hara won 6-2, 6-3.
This marks Caruso’s second straight state tournament appearance, having gone there with Kayla DiPaulo in 2008. They join the teams of Katherine Hill-Megan Holleran (Skaneateles) and Julie Thomson-Basha-Emily Norkett (CBA) in the event that runs Saturday through Monday at Eastide Racquet Club in Manlius.
The singles players at Eastside from Section III will be Anke Von Hanstein (Manlius-Pebble Hill), Claire Minnoe (Auburn) and F-M’s Sienna Susko.
