Box Score
Tournament Page
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's tennis team will be heading to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship match for the third year in a row, as it knocked off SUNY Cortland, 5-0, in the semifinal round of the 2013 SUNYAC Tennis Championship Tournament on Saturday at the Binghamton Tennis Center.
The Hawks will meet up with the West Division's top seed, SUNY Geneseo, tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in the championship match that will determine the SUNYAC champion. The winner of the match also gains the conference's automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship Tournament.
New Paltz, the East Division's No. 1 seed in the tournament, rises to 8-3 overall for the season. Cortland, the East Division's No. 3 seed, drops to 4-7 overall.
When the match ended, four singles flights were still in play. Freshman
Veronika Paikin (North Woodmere, N.Y./George W. Hewlett) and junior
Jessica Schmidt (Commack, N.Y./Commack) registered official victories at their respective singles flights; Paikin won, 6-2, 6-0, at flight three, while Schmidt prevailed, 6-0, 6-0, at flight four.
New Paltz was able to enter singles play with a 3-0 lead, as the Hawks easily handled their Red Dragon counterparts in doubles action. Senior
Paige Munroe (Ann Arbor, Mich./Ann Arbor Pioneer) and junior
Devin Tracy (Great River, N.Y./East Islip) posted an 8-1 win at flight one, Schmidt and Paikin logged an 8-0 victory at flight two and sophomore
Allie Starke (Binghamton, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) and freshman
Olivia Ammirati (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) collected an 8-2 triumph at flight three.
The Hawks will have a chance to win their fifth SUNYAC title in program history tomorrow. Geneseo and New Paltz have met in each of the past two conference finals, and the Knights won on both occasions. New Paltz's last SUNYAC title came in 2010, which was the final year that the conference determined a team champion based on a flighted format.
Singles competition
1.
Olivia Ammirati (NPWTN) vs. Shannon Grodotzke (CORTWT) 6-3, 3-0, unfinished
2.
Paige Munroe (NPWTN) vs. Mary Claire Kopciens (CORTWT) 6-6, unfinished
3.
Veronika Paikin (NPWTN) def. Dilara Kumbul (CORTWT) 6-2, 6-0
4.
Jessica Schmidt (NPWTN) def. Janette O'Keefe (CORTWT) 6-0, 6-0
5.
Allie Starke (NPWTN) vs. Natalie Groves (CORTWT) 6-0, 3-3, unfinished
6. Elizabeth Palmer (NPWTN) vs. Leah Hathaway (CORTWT) 6-4, 5-0, unfinished
Doubles competition
1.
Paige Munroe/
Devin Tracy (NPWTN) def. Shannon Grodotzke/Dilara Kumbul (CORTWT) 8-1
2.
Jessica Schmidt/
Veronika Paikin (NPWTN) def. Mary Claire Kopciens/Natalie Groves (CORTWT) 8-0
3.
Allie Starke/
Olivia Ammirati (NPWTN) def. Janette O'Keefe/Leah Hathaway (CORTWT) 8-2