Daunting obstacles stood between the Cazenovia girls tennis team and a possible Section III Class C championship – or at least it seemed that way.
When it counted the most, Cazenovia delivered, ending a wait of 28 years for the big prize Saturday afternoon at Mott Courts in Utica, where it avenged two regular-season defeats to Skaneateles and won the third and most important Laker clash by a 5-2 margin.
In both of those earlier encounters, Skaneateles prevailed by comfortable margins. But the sectional final provided a far different outcome, and far more favorable for the challengers.
Majorities were gained in both singles and doubles by Cazenovia, and Alex Galle led the singles charge, dominating Olivia Gage in a 6-1, 6-0 verdict before Lucy Langan earned a point with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Erica Byrne. Skaneateles only got one point, from Angela Krause, who topped Ava Gurney, but even that was a 6-4, 7-5 battle.
Though only two points were needed in doubles, Cazenovia claimed three of them, none harder, or more important, than the first doubles match where the sister tandem of Laura and Lucy Connor overcame a terrible first set to rally past Liz Belinski and Katelyn Ellison 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
The other points came in just two sets, courtesy of Summer Steinhorst and Julia Barrett, who topped Julia Torrisi and Rachel Feeney 6-1, 6-3, and Annaka Bruno and Julie Silverman getting past Mary McNeil and Bailey Parsons 7-5, 6-1. Anna Barrett and Brittany Wright lost to Maura McNeil and Maddy Pinkney 6-3, 6-1.
Before this, the Lakers upended unbeaten, top-seeded Sauquoit Valley 4-1 in the semifinals, and the win over Skaneateles capped an incredible team effort amid the most pressure-packed time of the fall.
With the no. 5 seed in the Class C bracket, the Lakers had a bye straight into last Monday’s quarterfinal at no. 4 seed Westmoreland, where it swept both doubles matches and went 2-1 in singles to oust the Bulldogs 4-1.
Wright and Anna Barrett, playing in second doubles, quickly put a point on the board for Cazenovia, defeating Natasha Smith and Juliana Fiorilli 6-0, 6-0, while Laura and Lucy Connor had to work a bit longer in first doubles, but still handled Westmoreland’s duo of Kia Barber and Olivia Merrell 6-4, 6-4.
Moving to singles, Gurney took a 6-2, 6-4 defeat to the Bulldogs’ Alyssa Bowers, but Cazenovia snatched the other two singles points. Galle worked past Bailey Hryb 6-1, 6-4, while in second singles Langan defeated Alexandra Golden 6-2, 6-1.
Now, though, the Lakers had to take the measure of Sauquoit Valley, and other than one singles match, the Lakers proved better.
Galle got a crucial point in second singles, going to three sets to win over Isabella Arrigo 6-1, 6-7 (7-2), 6-0. And though Gurney lost to Tanya Brutsky 7-5, 6-7 (7-3), 10-4, Langan earned Cazenovia’s other singles point in a 6-1, 7-5 win over Maiah DeGironimo.
Just two singles matches took place, and the Lakers handled Sauquoit in each of them. The Connors again worked their magic, winning 6-3, 6-0 over Kira Baran and Elizabeth Duh, with Barrett and Wright prevailing over Katherine Nelson and Erika Piper 6-1, 6-2.
Each of the Lakers’ side got an extra day to rest and prepare as rain on Friday postponed the final for 24 hours. The extra day of rest allowed Cazenovia time to recuperate from those earlier battles before it faced Skaneateles once more – and finally got the upper hand on them.
