The State University of New York at New Paltz tennis team couldn't have ended the regular season on a more impressive note, putting away three-straight 9-0 victories to claim the top seed in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) for the first time since 2006.

"It's actually really great, because being the first seed we have an easier semifinal and we wouldn't have to play Oneonta and Geneseo or vise-versa," said Hawks junior Victoria Zezula. "It just relieves the tension and the stress on the team, so we are much more comfortable going into the semifinals." 

With the undefeated regular season under its belts, SUNY New Paltz (7-0 overall, 7-0 SUNYAC) is the favorite to land its fifth conference title and first since 2010. But first, the Hawks must get past a much-improved Fredonia State (12-3, 4-3) team, which they had defeated Saturday, 9-0.

"They are a completely different team than they were," Zezula said of the Blue Devils. "It was a very tough match, but we all pulled through. I am very happy about that. I think we need to focus more on not being nervous and just playing our game. That is all we got to do." 

The winner of the SUNY New Paltz and Fredonia State semifinal match up will take on either SUNY Oneonta (13-1, 6-1) or seven-time defending champions, SUNY Geneseo (6-2, 5-2). The Knights head into the weekend depleted from injuries, however, and the Red Dragons had already beaten the defending champs, 9-0, earlier this season.
 
The Hawks came away with a narrow win against SUNY Oneonta Sept. 28 on its home court. They victory came down to the last two singles matches of the day with Courtney Koran and Lindsay Haley coming through with fifth and sixth singles victories, respectively, to secure the win.
 
The Red Dragons' lone loss came against the Hawks, while the Knights fell to both SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Oneonta.
 
For the past 11 seasons, the Hawks and the Knights have competed in the SUNYAC championship game. If the Red Dragons came away with the semifinal win it would be the first time since 2000 the program has finished at least top-two in the conference. SUNY Oneonta has never won the SUNYAC tennis title. 

Either way, Blue Devils, Red Dragons or Knights, SUNY New Paltz is eyeing the SUNYAC championship and is confident they can bring home a title it has yearned for, for the past seven seasons.
 
"We're all hungry for that SUNYAC title. We just keep working. We keep practicing constantly, working on our game and being more comfortable with our strokes, being more confident and just playing our overall game," Zezula said. "We all have it in us, honestly. I think this team is such a great team. We get along with each other so well. The team connection is just so great. We cheer each other on and get us pumped up and I feel with that we can win the title." 
 
SUNY New Paltz is set to take on Fredonia State at the Binghamton Racquet Club Saturday at 1 p.m. with the SUNYAC Championship Game slated for Sunday.

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