Just as the weather deteriorated and the temperature dipped, top girls tennis players from Cazenovia and Chittenango headed indoors and moved into the late rounds of their respective Section III tournaments.
In Division III matches held at Gold’s Gym in Liverpool, Cazenovia singles star Elizabeth Palmer reached the semifinals, only to run into CBA’s Colleen Cavanaugh and take a 6-3, 6-0 defeat. Cavanaugh went on to lose to her teammate, Olivia Messineo, in the finals.
Up in Division II, played at the Turning Stone Resort facility in Verona, Chittenango’s tandem of McKenzie Doig and Kaleigh Koegel also reached the semifinals – and also got stopped there, falling to Rachel Madden and Alex Romano (New Hartford) 6-2, 6-3. Madden and Romano did win the title, 7-6, 6-2, over Mexico’s Jamie Wallace and Brooke Willis.
Palmer, Doig and Koegel all made their way to Drumlins Country Club on Thursday to start in the state qualifying tournament.
In the first round, Palmer defeated Beaver River’s Amy Wormwood in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0, but in the quarterfinals she ran into Auburn standout Claire Minnoe and took a 6-0, 6-0 defeat. Koegel and Doig lost in the opening round to the Fayetteville-Manlius duo of Carly Romano and Rhiannon Iorio in two sets 6-3, 6-1.
