Even after it swept Cazenovia away in a wind-swept Sept. 21 showdown at Austin Park, the Skaneateles girls tennis team still had to get through two more matches in order to claim the OHSL Liberty National division regular-season title.
First, the Lakers took on Homer last Monday at Austin Park, and on Senior Day it turned back the Trojans 6-1, never threatened in any of the three singles matches.
Emma Miller, after a tough first set, worked past Catarina Kruman 6-4, 6-2. By contrast, Isabella Kroon blanked Kailtyn Clune 6-0, 6-0, with Ella Danforth also making it through an early challenge to win 6-4, 6-1 over Ellis Han.
In doubles, Homer’s lone point was attained in a long third set that the Lakers’ Hope Allyn and Rachael Feeney could not quite claim as they lost a 7-5, 4-6, 14-12 epic to Molly Burhans and Marlena Kurman.
Marin Doyle and Gracie Lee shut out Sienna Haskins and Alina Heyer 6-0, 6-0, while Riley Fouts and Bridget Neumann won, 6-3, 6-1, over Sophie Burhans and Ally Hammond. Sophia Soderberg and Olivia Walker beat Jane Durham and Brynne Peck 6-0, 6-1.
Right after this, Skaneateles clinched the league title with a 7-0 romp over Pulaski where Feeney and Allyn went back to singles, each of them winning 6-0, 6-0 decisions over, respectively, Chayanna LaCelle and Madison Hanks.
Danforth and Miller were paired up again and got their own 6-0, 6-0 romp over Chelcie Oakes and Lauren Denny, with Fouts and Neumann beating Cassie McGregor and Olivia Taylor 6-2, 6-2.
Though they had a tough first set, Soderberg and Kelsey Rutledge won 6-4, 6-0, over Jessica Yesensky and Isabella Pierce, with Doyle and Lee prevailing over JuliaHefti and Holly Pacyon 6-0, 6-1.
Playing again on Thursday against Jordan-Elbridge, Skaneateles claimed a 6-1 victory as Feeney beat Meghan Whalen 6-0, 6-4, with Allyn topping Anisa Bort 6-2, 6-2 and Kroon beating Wendy Carter 6-1, 6-2.
Lee, paired this time in doubles with Walker, lost, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6, to Abby and Gabrielle Skotinski, but Fouts and Neumann shut out Maddie Green and Maria LaFleur 6-0, 6-0, with Danforth and Miller topping Delaney Dunham and Meghan Hatt 6-1, 6-0. Doyle and Lee beat Bella DeCola and Katelyn Precourt 6-2, 6-1.
And this left Skaneateles with a final regular-season mark of 11-1. Now it could look ahead to the Section III team tournament – and as the no. 3 seed, Skaneateles would have a rematch with Cazenovia, the no. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals, with the winner to face Canastota or Marcellus in the semifinals.
