In a couple of instances, West Genesee’s girls tennis doubles team of Samantha Heyn and Marisa Joyce moved within sight of an opening-round victory at this weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament.
But victory would, in the end, prove elusive for Heyn and Joyce, who went on to a defeat in the consolation bracket, too, a fate that four of the six singles and doubles sides from Section III would meet when they ventured to Tri-City Tennis Center in Latham, near Albany.
In that opening round on Saturday, the Wildcats’ pair faced Joyce Luo and Liza Pinchman, from Pittsford Mendon, and won the first set 6-2. Luo and Pinchman recovered to take the second set 6-4, evening the match.
Then, in a tense third set, Heyn and Joyce traded games with Luo and Pinchman until, at 5-5, the Pittsford Mendon duo went in front and got the service break it needed to win that set, 7-5, and advance.
Meanwhile, Heyn and Joyce got put into the consolation bracket, where in a single-set match with Caroline Seeburg and Juliana Marcolini (Warwick) they lost an 8-6 decision.
Another Section III doubles side, Ella Brutsky and Dana Biver (Sauquoit Valley), met the same fate with an opening-round defeat and a loss in consolation play. However, the Fayetteville-Manlius duo of Laurin Goldberg and Sienna Susko made it to the quarterfinals as the no. 6 seed before falling to Chandrika Sanapala and Chhinda Som (Brighton) in straight sets.
In singles, Jamesville-DeWitt’s Kyrin Pollock won in the first round before a defeat to no. 3 seed Aimee Manfredo (Shoreham-Wading River) in the round of 16. Kahlei Reisinger (Baldwinsville) took a three-set defeat, but then made a long run through the consolation bracket as Auburn’s Julia Wagner went 0-2.
