At least in the early stages of the 2018 season, the Skaneateles girls tennis team brushed off all of its challengers as it rose to the top of the OHSL Liberty division.
It all led to Thursday’s showdown with Christian Brothers Academy, a clash of unbeaten sides, but also a dose of reality for the Lakers as it had to work hard to gain even a single point in a 6-1 loss to the Brothers.
In first doubles, Ella Danforth and Emma Miller lost the first set to Grace Coyne and Grace DelPino, but pulled out the second set and, in a third-set tie-breaker, put Skaneateles on the board with a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 victory.
Hope Allyn and Riley Fouts took 6-0, 6-1 losses to, respectively, Gieselle Vlassis and Grace Glowaki, with Marin Doyle falling to Calista Albring 6-1, 6-0.
In the other doubles matches, Rachael Feeney and Isabella Kroon took a 6-3, 6-0 defeat to Grace Catalano and Aubrey Mills. Gracie Lee and Sophia Soderberg fell to Mary Kilmartin and Isabella Mead 6-1, 6-1, with Abbie Bates and Olivia Walker struggling, too, as they lost to Annie Kilmartin and Maddie Tallman 6-1, 6-0.
Before this, Skaneateles did not drop a single set in last Tuesday’s match against Mexico, blanking the Tigers 7-0 as Rachael Feeney had the closest singles match, but still rolled past Juliana Hernandez 6-4, 6-0.
Kroon didn’t take long to put away Juliana Smith 6-0, 6-1 as Allyn won a 6-3, 6-0 decision over Kim Heagerty. The doubles dominance began with Danforth and Miller topping Mia Morris and Destiny Teachout 6-2, 6-0.
Fouts and Bridget Neumann handled Caitlyn Hackett and Emma Teeter 6-0, 6-3, with Doyle and Gracie Lee routing Alivia Kelsey and Grace Mason 6-1, 6-1. Soderberg and Walker won over Marissa Hammond and Shelby Schumacher in straight sets 6-1, 6-2.
If the weather held up, Skaneateles would face Bishop Grimes and Westhill early in the week, followed by a Friday visit by Manlius-Pebble Hill to Austin Park.
