Talent, and endurance, would be on display for the Cazenovia girls tennis team as it played four times in as many days last week amid hot temperatures that leaned more toward late July than late September.
Right in the middle of this stretch was a showdown against undefeated Christian Brothers Academy last Wednesday where the Lakers were a couple of sets from knocking off the Brothers, but had to settle for a valiant effort and a 5-2 defeat.
Both points were earned by Cazenovia in doubles, starting with Julie Silverman and Alex Galle defeating Mikayla Santulli and Grace Coyne 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), while in three sets Annika Bruno and Lizzy Druke worked past Grace Catalano and Anna Sasser 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
Two other times, matches went to three sets but went in CBA’s favor. In third doubles, Meg Milmoe and Abby Burrell took a 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 defeat to Allison Brown and Mary Kilmartin, while in third singles Laura Connor pushed Grace DelPino to a third set, only to fall 6-1, 5-7, 6-0.
In the other singles matches, Julia Barrett fell to Gieselle Vlassis 6-0, 6-3 as Lucy Langan lost, 6-0, 6-1, to Rena Steele. Kaitlyn Puffer and Charlie Harris had a 6-0, 7-6 (10-8) defeat to Grace Glowaki and Aubrey Mills.
A day earlier, the Lakers got challenged by 5-1 Manlius-Pebble Hill, but was able to pull through thanks to a doubles sweep in a 5-2 victory over the Trojans.
Galle and Silverman got it going in first doubles, defeating Louisa Morrow and Lily Grenis 6-1, 6-2. Bruno and Druke had a closer match, but still beat Halle Erwin and Genevieve Morrow 6-3, 6-4.
Burrell and Milmoe topped Sara Antonevich and Marina Cousins 6-2, 6-3, with Harris and Puffer completing this 4-0 Lakers run in doubles by stopping Eden Hildebrandt and Eva Englich 6-3, 6-1.
Up in singles, Langan ran into Anna Szombathy and lost, 6-3, 6-1, with Connor taking a 6-3, 6-0 loss to Parmees Fazelli. Barrett avoided that fate, rallying from a bad start to beat Grace Walsh 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Right after the match with CBA, Cazenovia played again on Thursday and beat Westhill 6-1. The doubles teams of Galle-Silverman, Druke-Bruno, Milmoe-Burrell and Harris-Puffer each won in straight sets.
Langan could not hold on to her early lead in a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 singles defeat to the Warriors’ Kaleigh Danaher, but the Lakers got the other two points in singles as Connor handled Cami Cortez 6-0, 6-2 and Barrett beat Grace Lesselroth 6-3, 6-0.
The fourth match in four days was another 6-1 victory for Cazenovia, this time over Marcellus. Bruno played in singles and beat Madeline Mahoney 6-1, 7-5, with Connor topping Caroline Keegan 6-3, 6-2 and Barrett getting a 6-2, 6-1 win over Marcy Gosson.
Cazenovia also won three of four doubles matches. Galle and Silverman routed Alyssa Goodwin and Courtney Otis 6-1, 6-1, with Milmoe and Burrell rallying past Mikayla Cusick and Elaina Mahoney 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Harris and Puffer won, 6-2, 6-2, over Kaitlyn Kemp and Morgan Walsh.
Chittenango entered the week coming off a tough 4-3 win over Marcellus on Sept. 15, helped by Shannon Koegel beating Courtney Otis 6-1, 6-2 and Emma Bailey handling Alyssa Goodwin 6-2, 6-4.
Anna Rooney lost a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10-8) marathon to the Mustangs’ Mikayla Cusick, but the Bears still won two doubles matches, including the clincher where Shelby Maring and Brenna Stanton rallied past Morgan Walsh and Kaitlyn Kemp 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Another 4-3 defeat followed in last Monday’s match between the Bears and Homer. Bailey had claimed a marathon 6-7 (10-8), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) win over the Trojans’ Madison Baker in second singles, with Koegel beating Tessa Brown 6-1, 6-1.
Cannistra and Triolo also prevailed in straight sets, but Homer earned the other three doubles points, the closest of those matches one where Coralee Everett and Morgan-Shae Gondeck fell to Catarina and Marlena Kruman 7-5, 6-3. Alexandra Drake lost in singles to Nicolo Petriesova 6-3, 6-0.
That skid ended Wednesday with Chittenango defeating Phoenix 5-2, and even the two points dropped were close matches as Koegel fell to Brielle DeRoberts 6-0, 6-7 (7-5), 6-0 and Bailey took a 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 defeat to Gianna DeRoberts.
From there, Rooney blasted Catherine Musumeci 6-1, 6-2, and the Bears won all four doubles matches. The teams of Everett-Gondeck, Maring-Stanton and Katie Simmons-Chloe Foran won in straight sets, but Cannistra and Drake needed a comeback to beat Katelyn Carbonaro and Ashley Kenner-Carbonaro 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
