The second appearance by West Genesee girls tennis players Mikayla Mannara and Katie Viau at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships did not quite go like the first one did.
Having reached the doubles round of 16 a year ago, Mannara and Viau looked for a similar result, if not better, when top players gathered at Latham’s Tri-City Fitness center.
In the first round, the Wildcats pair met Brooke Fernandez and Hailey Loughlin, from William Floyd High School on Long Island. Mannara and Viau won the first set 6-3, but could not hold on to that lead, taking 6-3, 6-3 losses to Fernandez and Loughlin in the next two sets.
Moved into the consolation bracket, Mannara and Viau had a single-set match against Penfield’s Caitlin Hogan and Abby Guyon, where they took an 8-5 loss.
The other Section III doubles teams had strong results, with Katerina Atallah and Maggie Bonomo (Fayetteville-Manlius) getting all the way to Monday’s championship match as Brianna Laureti and Lauren Skibitski (Oneida) advanced to the round of 16.
In singles, New Hartford’s Sarah Corasanti and Christian Brothers Academy’s Rena Steele won in the opening round and lost in the round of 16, with CBA’s Gieselle Vlassis, just a seventh-grader, falling in the first round.
