CENTRAL NEW YORK – Year after year, any challenge thrown at the Fayetteville-Manlius girls tennis team was turned back – until 2022, that is, when the Hornets’ Section III Class A crown was snatched away by Baldwinsville.
In 2023, though, the Hornets are champions again, having won three times in three days capped by a tense 4-3 victory over the Bees in Wednesday’s championship round that represented ultimate payback for what happened 12 months ago.
Through six matches, all decided in straight sets, F-M and B’ville each had three points, leading to a pivotal third singles match between Selena Chen and Ella Clary.
It was Clary taking the opening set 6-4, but that only seemed to inspire Chen’s best tennis as the Hornets star blanked Clary 6-0 in the second set and, in the decisive third set, prevailed 6-3 to give F-M the clinching point.
Before this, all of F-M’s points had come in doubles, starting with Samreet Mangat and Erin McLain beating Livia Zoanetti and Jasmine Rowda 7-6, 6-3.
Then it continued with Angelina Fang and Caitlyn McLain topping Laine Zoanetti and Layla Trendowski 6-2, 6-3 and with the duo of Anokhi Dalal and Mariah Sun beating Juliette Pawelek and Carmela Budzich 6-1, 6-3.
But Lindsey Chong and Sadie Toole lost 6-4, 6-3 to Elaina Nesbitt and Sonia Nadzan, with Trisha Adavikolanu shut out by Mira Nadzan 6-0, 6-0 and Shreya Bhattachyara falling to Alya Kalfass 6-1, 6-4, setting up the need for Chen to win – which she did.
All this came after F-M shut out another undefeated side, Christian Brothers Academy, in the semifinals 7-0 a day earlier, with some matches tougher than others.
Chen went through two tiebreaks with Clare Schaefer, splitting them, but then dominated the third set 6-1 as Toole beat Rowan Doyle 6-0, 7-6 and Adavikolanu defeated Allie Mancini 6-1, 6-3.
Another match went to three sets in doubles, with Sun and Julia Kim working past Monica Fallon and Katrina Ricelli 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Fang and Caitlyn McLain and Fang won 7-5, 7-5 over Julie Zdep and Madison Evans as the teams of Chong-Bhattachyara and Mangat-Erin McLain each won in two sets.
F-M had first shut out Rome Free Academy 7-0 in last Monday’s quarterfinals, with Toole, Adavikolanu and Chen dropping just one game in six sets of singles play. The closest of the four doubles matches had Bhattacharya and Chong handling Kali Fountain and Thylia Keoviengsamay 6-2, 6-1.
CBA’s quarterfinal was against no. 5 seed East Syracuse Minoa, and the Spartans made some inroads, only to have the Brothers sweep the doubles and prevail 5-2.
Up in singles, Brooke Kirkpatrick handled Molly Giblin 6-1, 6-2, with Erin Murnane earning a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Chloe Giblin, but in third singles Olivia Ruzekowicz came from behind to beat Rhiannon Cobb 6-7, 6-4, 10-7.
Far from all this, Manlius Pebble Hill made a push for the sectional Class C title, starting last Monday when, as the no. 6 seed, it knocked off no. 3 seed Westmoreland 4-1 in the quarterfinals.
A key point came in doubles, where Amy Walsh and Mira Zhang claimed a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 battle with Jenna Hutchins and Ariana Malerba. Rose Fallon and Sabrina Loop won in two sets, as did Amitees Fazeli in singles.
MPH’s run ended a day later in a 5-2 semifinal defeat to no. 2 seed Cazenovia. Fazeli dominated Rachel Molloy 6-1, 6-0 and the Trojans claimed a forfeit, but so did the Lakers as it won the other four contested matches in two sets.
Jamesville-DeWitt was ousted by Whitesboro in the Class B quarterfinals, this despite a doubles effort where Mona Farah and Yana Farah paired up to beat Tessa Nash and Jordyn Howlett 6-4, 6-2. In three sets, Kayva Arasu and Gaby Garcia Thomas fell to Liyah Schneider and Samara Gorgi.
