CENTRAL NEW YORK – Three area high school girls tennis teams found themselves still alive going to the semifinals of the Section III team tournaments, and two of them would face each other there.
That was in Class C, where Marcellus and Skaneateles would battle Tuesday a mere two weeks after the Mustangs had prevailed 4-3 in their regular-season encounter – and here, with far higher stakes, it turned out the exact same way due to a Marcellus sweep of all four doubles matches.
Shaelynn Kelly and Korinne Kemp handled Katie Danforth and Georgia Kriedler 6-1, 6-1, with Sophie Clarke and Abby Finn just as dominant beating Caitlin Day and Bryn Butler 6-0, 6-1.
The key match was in third doubles, where Ella Lutwin and Molly Moses were pushed to three sets, but won 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 over Makayla Barron and Madelyn Vance as Caitlyn Sammon and Zofia Polkowski got past Millie Wu and MaryKate Holst 6-4, 6-4.
This was needed because Skaneateles won every singles match. Eva DeJesus blanked Sofia Tufenkjian 6-0, 6-0 and Isabelle Soderberg nearly did the same topping Xian Angiotti 6-0, 6-1 as Addison Ziegler handled Katie Devereaux 6-2, 6-0.
They got here through quarterfinals last Tuesday where Marcellus blanked no. 5 seed Little Falls 5-0 and Skaneateles rose up to stun unbeaten top seed Lowville 3-2.
Marcellus already had straight-set singles wins from Tufenkjian and Devereaux when, in first singles, Angiotti needed three sets to work past Marianne Douglas 6-4, 6-4. The doubles teams of Kelly-Kemp and Lutwin-Clarke each got straight-set wins.
Now, having beat Skaneateles, all that stood between the Mustangs and a sectional title was Wednesday’s final against no. 2 seed Cazenovia – but it only managed one win on the court and fell 5-2 to those other Lakers.
Helped by a forfeited point in doubles, Marcellus added a second when Lutwin and Moses turned back Audrey Henry and Lily Campagna 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, but everything else went to Cazenovia in straight sets.
Clarke and Finn fell to Ava Galton and Kate Williams 6-3, 6-2, with Kemp and Kelly taking a 6-3, 6-0 defeat to Rachel Molly and Grace Probe. Up in singles, Angiotti lost to Leah Bell 6-1, 6-2 as Tufenkjian fell to Madden Cobb 6-1, 6-1 and Devereaux lasted a bit longer, but still took a 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Nora Berg.
As the no. 2 seed in Class B, Westhill carried high expectations, which held up through last Monday’s quarterfinal, a 4-1 victory over no. 7 seed Carthage.
With Samantha Burkett and Cadence Ramsing winning in straight sets, Isabella Johnson and Katie Rogers went through three sets, but beat Yixuan Huang and Sherry Wang 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Julia Fiegel lost in singles 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to Chloe Feathers, but Phoebe Gumaer was successful, beating Shira Parnes 6-0, 6-2.
Meeting no. 3 seed Whitesboro in the semifinals a day later, Westhill put up a good fight, but took a 5-2 defeat.
Both Flegel and Gumaer lost their singles matches in two sets, while Ramsing put Westhill on the board, rallying to beat Katherine Mullen 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Jane Stanton and Tatum Bangell earned the other point, outlasting Angelina Osilovskiy and Catelin Kenan 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3, while Samantha Burkett and Clare Delay also went to three sets, but lost to Katherine Mullen and Averi Kraeger 6-4, 6-7 (7-3), 10-8. The teams of Rogers-Johnson and Emily Balduzzi-Megan Batitsta both took straight-set defeats.
West Genesee did not participate in the sectional tournament, but celebrated Senior Day last Tuesday with a 7-0 shutout of Nottingham.
Two doubles matches were forfeited, but the teams of Calina Olsen-Angelina Allen and Sarah Domin-Evelina Mauro each won in straight sets, as did singles players Helena Allen, Hannah Sparks and Cynthia Schlenker.
