All season long, the Baldwinsville girls tennis team had looked for a signature win, nearly getting it twice in one-point defeats to long-time powerhouse Fayetteville-Manlius.
But the wait ended Wednesday afternoon. Mixing in strong play on both the singles and doubles sides, the Bees upended West Genesee from the unbeaten ranks in yet another 4-3 decision.
Back on Sept. 3, West Genesee had ended the 21-year win streak of F-M, and in the weeks since had not taken any blemishes as numerous CNY Counties League foes took their aim at the Wildcats.
But B’ville would make a direct hit. It helped, of course, to have Kahlei Reisinger as a singles ace, and she was her usual dominant self, roaring to a 6-0, 6-0 sweep over Kelsey Shanahan.
More important for the Bees, though, was seeing Jennifer Stone roll through second single in a similar manner, defeating Shannon Marlatt 6-2, 6-1, which helped obscure the 6-3, 6-1 defeat Maddie Quilter took to Sarah Schahczenski.
Now the Bees needed two points in doubles, where WG was always strong. It didn’t come from Bridgett Brown and Natalie Kot, who fell to Samantha Heyn and Marisa Joyce 6-4, 6-1, nor from Lauren Dusse and Taylor Slink, who battled hard, but took a 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) defeat to Taylor Ginestro and Kayla Llanos.
In third and fourth doubles, though, the Bees were victorious. Avoiding a third set with some clutch play, Gabby Fiello and Emma Funicello defeated Mikayla Mannara and Mary Frontale 6-2, 7-5, and when Katie Cassidy and Amanda Coogan turned back Abby Thurston and Caroline McGuigan 6-4, 6-3, B’ville was on top.
Given the quality of its opposition, B’ville could not afford to look ahead to West Genesee, as Central Square offered plenty of good competition last Monday afternoon before the Bees, surviving three different matches that went to three sets, beat the Red Hawks 7-0.
Reisinger beat Erin McCarthy 6-0, 6-0 and Stone rolled past Nicole Bishop 6-2, 6-1, but Quilter, in third singles, got pushed to a third set by Alyssa Payne before taking over in that final set to win 6-1, 6-7, 6-0.
Moving to doubles, Kot and Brown trailed Sara Firnstein and Breanna Grimes early, and got pushed to a third-set tie-breaker, but pulled it out 5-7, 6-4, 7-6, while in another three-set battle Cassidy and Coogan rallied past Kari Woodard and Savannah Todd 4-6, 6-0, 6-0. Dusse and Taylor Ferrari rolled past Jenna Froio and Maddie Perry 6-0, 6-2.
And even when West Genesee was beaten, B’ville had no time to relax, for it had to travel to Auburn on Thursday afternoon – and it still worked out, the Bees beating the Maroons 6-1 to go with their 5-2 win in the first encounter Sept. 3.
In the highlighted match, Reisinger lost the first set of a singles showdown with Julia Wagner, only to roar back and win 3-6, 6-0, 6-2. By contrast, Stone ripped past Jaime Whitford 6-0, 6-1, and Quilter shut out Amanda Dixon 6-0, 6-0 to complete a singles sweep.
Then B’ville took three of four doubles matches. Cassidy and Coogan won, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), over Anna Streeter and Emma Solomon, with Fiello and Funicello handling Grace Bachman and Abbie Connors 6-0, 6-2.
Brown and Slink had a 6-2, 6-2 romp over Celia Mattie and Katherine Brundage as Dusse and Kot lost in first doubles to Lauryn Husby and Jenna Jarman, normally singles players paired together for this match, 6-2, 6-4.
