In a late-season battle between OHSL Liberty division rivals, the Westhill girls tennis team cooled down Marcellus, putting together a 5-2 victory over the Mustangs on Thursday afternoon.
The win pushed the Warriors up the league standings as it improved to 7-2 (8-4 overall), while Marcellus fell to 9-3 in the league (9-4 overall).
Westhill won two of the three singles matches, as Bree Sherlock beat Catie Nonemacher 6-3, 6-4 and Eileen Fleming, in a three-set battle, outlasted Emily Gascon 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Marcellus got the other point when Colleen Stapleton beat Katie Ferrara 6-2, 7-5.
Moving to doubles, the Warriors won three of those four points, including Anna Pullano and Kathleen Dillon getting a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win over Holly Grosholz and Jessica Stottlar.
Lauren Walters and Selina Scutari prevailed over Leah May and Hailey Randall 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, while Bridget Sherlock and Phoebe Langdon romped past Grace Hunt and Tierney Clark 6-2, 6-2. Marcellus only won when Renee Poullott and Emily Hennigan shut out Casey Hagen and Adrianna Carello 6-0, 6-0.
Before that, the Mustangs showed again how much it had improved – and how many players contributed to that improvement – during the course of last Wednesday afternoon’s 5-2 victory over Skaneateles.
There were some early issues when Nonemacher had to leave her match with Makenzie Herbst early in the second set due to injury. The other Marcellus singles players promptly stepped up, though, as Gascon flattened Katelyn Ellison 6-0, 6-1 and Stapleton put together a 6-2, 6-2 win over Alaina Davis.
In a tough doubles match, Hennigan and Randall went to three sets, but outlasted Emily Call and Chelsea White 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. In straight sets, Stottlar and Grosholz handled Joy DeCastro and Avery Bird 6-2, 6-0, while Hunt and Clark earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Lauren Canzio and Olivia Gage.
As for West Genesee, its great work in doubles was not quite enough to tame Baldwinsville as it fell to the Bees 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon.
Lexi Myers and Anisha Shetty got the Wildcats on the board when they beat Catherine Corsito and Taylor Ferrari 6-0, 6-2. Maranda Dowling and Allison Theberge got through a first-set tie-breaker, beating Sarah Corcoran and Melinda Davis 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, while Danielle Fofi and Mackenzie Payne topped Hannah Mautz and Taylor Slink 6-3, 6-4.
Of the three singles matches, only Taylor Ginestro reached a third set, falling to Rachel Taylor 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 as the Bees’ tandem of Amari Pollard and Kailei Reisinger both won in straight sets. Mackenzie Haley and Marisa Joyce were one set from the match win before Colleen Morgan and Maddie Price rallied past them 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Westhill went up against OHSL Liberty division leader Cazenovia last Tuesday and picked off a couple of doubles matches, but still lost to the Lakers 5-2.
Ferrara and Bree Sherlock teamed up in first doubles, rallying past Olivia Bowser and Morgan Cowherd 6-7, 6-3, 6-0. In straight sets, Langdon and Bridget Sherlock got a 7-5, 6-4 win over Rebecca Marsh and Taylor Mimms.
Left behind in singles, the trio of Fleming, Carello and Casey Hagen each lost in straight sets. Scutari and Walters fell to Marissa Barrett and Kelly Furlong 6-1, 6-4, with Dillon and Pullano beaten by Grace Gara and Sierra Lints 7-6, 6-2.
Marcellus would play in the Section III Class B team tournament as a no. 5 seed, meeting no. 12 seed Skaneateles in Tuesday’s opening round for the right to meet no. 4 seed Carthage in the quarterfinals. Westhill, the no. 11 seed, opens at no. 6 seed South Jefferson.