The State University of New York at New Paltz's women's tennis team will look to continue a historic stretch of play in 2021. In lieu of a season where the NCAA tournament was cancelled, a motivated Hawks roster will aspire to make a deep run in the tournament this spring.
 
The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) will opt for a division based approach to scheduling for the 2021 season. The conference will be split into an East and West division, with schools primarily competing against opponents from within their own division. The West Division features four schools and the East Division will include SUNY New Paltz in addition to SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Plattsburgh. 
SUNY New Paltz was in the midst of a successful 2019-2020 campaign when the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting collegiate athletics. The Hawks were 9-1 after fall competition and only lost two total sets in conference play en route to collecting its second-straight SUNYAC Championship.
 
The Hawks will open their 2021 campaign in Cortland to take on the Red Dragons. The April 15 contest will mark the 20th meeting between the two schools. SUNY New Paltz has controlled contests with SUNY Cortland in recent years as the team is currently riding a 17 game winning streak against the Red Dragons. SUNY Cortland will then take a trip to the Hudson Valley on April 26.
 
The team's early season road trip will continue on April 19 against SUNY Oneonta. These schools have built a rivalry in recent seasons, culminating in a meeting in the 2019 SUNYAC Tournament Championship. After a year layoff, the two SUNYAC powerhouses will meet again, both returning the coaching staffs that brought each program success in recent history. The matchup against the Red Dragons on May 2 will conclude the 2021 regular season.
 
The Hawks will then faceoff against the Cardinals twice in the same week on April 22 and April 29. Head coach Rob Bruley's squad has dominated Plattsburgh historically, having never lost a match. The last meeting between these two squads resulted in a 9-0 victory for the visiting Hawks.
 
SUNY Cortland will host the SUNYAC Tournament on May 6. The tournament will bring together the top two teams from each division in a one day, semifinal and championship format.
 
To view the full 2021 women's tennis schedule, click here.
 
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