CENTRAL NEW YORK – A close girls tennis match took place Aug. 31 between Jamesville-DeWitt and East Syracuse Minoa, with the Red Rams able to take two close doubles matches and prevail 4-3 over the Spartans.
Rallying from behind, J-D’s Anna Hasegawa and Jaeda Robinson battled past Gianna Brilbeck and Abigail Cain 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, and in that same manner Kendall Cabiles and Laila Khalil would earn a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Presley DeJulio and Jewellianna Hallock.
It only took two sets for Olivia Quackenbush and Yara Farah to get past Rhiannon Cobb and Sophie Jones 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, while Mona Farah got J-D’s lone singles point, handling Brooke Kirkpatrick 6-2, 6-0.
The Spartans countered with Erin Murnane beating Olivia Clark 6-0, 6-3 as Caroline Sitnik won 6-1, 6-1 over Olivia Conley. ESM also had a doubles point when Katelyn Davis and Ososenso Ikhide beat Ella Arzia and Gaby Garcia Thomas in two sets 6-3, 6-2.
ESM had a 5-2 defeat to Whitesboro last Tuesday, Jones getting the Spartans’ lone singles point by handling Lauren Levatino 6-2, 6-1. In doubles, Hallock and Lila O’Brien rallied from a rough start in a 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Angelina Osiolovsky and Catelin Kernan.
Then, in Wednesday’s heat, ESM lost 4-3 to Auburn, unable to get a point in singles. But the Spartans did find doubles success, with Cain and Ikhide beating Victoria Brown and Emma Sroka 6-3, 6-3 and, in three sets, Brilbeck and Davis holding off Samantha Carr and Alice Caruso 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Back in action on Friday, J-D was challenged by Central Square and had to pull out another 4-3 decision, dividing its points between singles and doubles.
Quackenbush and Mona Farah easily won in singles, but Yara Farah lost in three sets to Claire Hayes 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. Hasegawa and Cabiles paired for one point in doubles, while Azria and Garcia Thomas lost in three sets.
Down a set and needing a comeback, Khalil and Kayva Arasu pulled it off, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 over Lauren Perry and Kiera Meneilly to get the clinching point.
In its season opener Aug. 31, Manlius Pebble Hill made some inroads against Skaneateles, but still lost 5-2 to the Lakers as Bishop Grimes fell 6-1 to Marcellus before a 6-1 defeat to Mexico.
Heat and bad weather postponed matches until Friday afternoon, when MPH returned and got closer against Mexico, but still lost 4-3 to the Tigers.
Sweeping the singles, the Trojans had Amitees Fazeli blank Jessica Hill 6-0, 6-0, with Caroline Mezzalingua handling Zoe Grzesik 6-3, 6-0 as Fariel Migeed won 6-3, 6-1 over Nataleigh Smith.
Having to forfeit a point in doubles, MPH saw Rose Fallon and Sabrina Loop got within two games of taking the decisive doubles match, only to drop a tight battle with Ella Blunt and Avery Mack 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
