Only a few games in a single set in a single match kept the Skaneateles girls tennis team from earning the Section III Class C championship.
The Lakers squared off with Utica-Notre Dame Saturday in the sectional team tournament final, and even with a point gained from a forfeit, Skaneateles lost to the Jugglers 4-3.
As the no. 3 seed, Skaneateles may have appeared a favorite, but UND, as the no. 8 seed, had upended top seed Watertown IHC in the quarterfinals before a 3-2 semifinal win over Lowville.
Seven points were at stake in the final, and the Jugglers could not compete in one of the doubles matches. However, it had an unstoppable trio of singles stars that would take charge.
Emma Miller, playing first singles for the Lakers, lost 6-0, 6-1 to Ellen Lyga, with Ella Danforth unable to get going, either, as she lost to Emily Lyga 6-1, 6-1. Isabella Kroon, in third singles, took a 6-3, 6-1 defeat to Danielle Cresci.
Countering with its strong doubles teams, Skaneateles had Marin Doyle and Gracie Lee shut out Gia Angotti and Lindsey Reese 6-0, 6-0, with Riley Fouts and Bridget Neumann handling Victoria Tran and Vita Waters 6-1, 6-1.
With the forfeit to Sophia Soderberg and Olivia Walker, it meant that first doubles would decide it.
Hope Allyn and Rachael Feeney, singles players most of the season, lost the first set to UND’s Samantha Fluty and Caitlyn Snyder 6-4, and though they won the second set 6-2, Allyn and Feeney couldn’t do much in the final set, beaten 6-1.
But it had proven a memorable playoff run. In the quarterfinals, Skaneateles, in the rematch of a Sept. 21 showdown with Cazenovia, got a severe challenge, but passed it with a pair of tough three-set wins and claimed the Laker duel by a score of 5-2.
They were supposed to play this match last Monday, but light rain that day, and heavy rain on Tuesday, pushed it back to Wednesday afternoon.
Once they did gather at Austin Park, Cazenovia immediately grabbed two singles points as Alex Galle beat Feeney 6-0, 6-2, while Laura Connor earned a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Allyn.
Then Kroon got shut out in the first set against Emmie Dolbear, only to make a complete turnaround and pull off a 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Even more exciting was the second doubles match where Fouts and Neumann lost the first-set tie-breaker to Abby Burrell and Nina Royer.
Then, two points from defeat, Fouts and Neumann won the second set in a tie-breaker, going on to beat Burrell and Royer , 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6), 10-7.
Danforth and Miller didn’t take long to beat Charley Harris and Kaitlyn Puffer 6-1, 6-1, while Doyle and Lee held off Ella Koch and Nova Berger 6-3, 7-5. Soderberg and Walker handled Baylee Pierce and Emma Thornton 6-4, 6-2.
The Lakers overpowered no. 2 seed Canastota 5-0 in Thursday’s semifinals, where none of the singles matches lasted too long,
Miller ripping Kacey Cashel 6-0, 6-1 as Kroon beat Emmalee Warner by those same scores and Danforth toppled Crystal VanOrnam 6-1, 6-0.
It was different in doubles, where Fouts and Neumann again fell behind, and again rallied, this time for a 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 win over Alyse Stockbridge and Valona Whitehead. Allyn and Feeney paired up and rolled past Skylar Donley and Logan Hood 6-3, 6-2.
