CENTRAL NEW YORK – Passing the midway point of their respective league slates, the Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool girls tennis teams would square off for the only time in the 2024 regular season on Monday afternoon.
They did so each urgently seeking victories, with the Northstars coming off a tough 4-3 loss to Auburn last Tuesday afternoon where one doubles match made the difference.
In three sets, the Maroons’ Sadie Morin and Olivia Schwab got past Kaelin Prentice and Mia Mulhern 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Otherwise, the matches were split and each of them went just two sets.
Ainsley Hill, in third singles, helped the Northstars, beating Lauren Sincebaugh 6-3, 6-4 to make up for defeats by Madelyn Shaw (6-2, 6-0 to Ashlyn Feneck) and Calista Nguyen (6-1, 6-2 to Alice Caruso).
Lauren Malec and Megan Mieves were impressive in doubles, routing Addison Lange and Samaya Stokes 6-1, 6-0, while Andrea Iqbal and Addyson Fedele won 6-3, 6-2 over Emma Sroka and Madison Fredericksen. A good doubles battle had Allison Spoto and Jessica Barnes falling to Victoria Brown and Magdalinle Hill 6-4, 6-4.
Yet another close match happened Thursday against Central Square and again, C-NS lost by a 4-3 margin, the difference a three-set singles match where Shaw dominated the first set 6-0 against Paige Westfall but then lost the last two sets 6-2 and 6-0.
Before that, Nguyen had topped Chloe Giblin 6-2, 6-4, with Mieves and Iqbal pairing in doubles to beat Michelle Brissette and Maya Gibson 6-1, 6-4. Prentice and Mulhern claimed a 6-4, 7-5 win over Pela Polmiaszek and Avery McVay, but the Redhawks won every other match in straight sets.
During Friday’s 6-1 loss to East Syracuse Minoa, Fedele and Iqbal worked past Caroline Sitnik and Lila O’Brien 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), but the Spartans took every other match, including a tense singles battle where Nguyen fell to Erin Murnane 6-4, 7-5.
Liverpool did not get on the board in a 7-0 defeat to West Genesee, which was a clash of two sides that started 2-0 as the Warriors lost every single match in straight sets.
Milana D’Amico was the only singles player to win a game, though she fell to Helena Allen 6-2, 6-2, while in doubles Madelyn Turck and Sydney Azzolino ran into Grace Yeager and Zaida Talev, taking a 6-2, 6-1 loss.
Another 7-0 decision followed on Wednesday afternoon, only it was Liverpool beating Syracuse West with shutouts by Emma Kohberger and Milana D’Amico in singles and Zoe Dart beating Shaima Osman 6-1, 6-1. Azzolino and Selah Poulsen paired up in doubles to blank Michaela Procks and Shaniya Dugar 6-0, 6-0.
With no time to rest, Liverpool met Cazenovia Thursday in non-league action and lost 7-0 to the Lakers, followed on Friday by another 7-0 defeat, this one to Auburn.
Three of the matches against the Maroons went to three sets. Judah Covell, in first singles, lost 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 to Ashlyn Feneck, with the D’Amico sisters dropping a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 battle to Emma Sroka and Madison Fredericksen as Poulsen and Madelyn Tuck lost to Samaya Stokes and Addison Lange 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
