One thing to know about veteran New Paltz women's tennis coach Rob Bruley is that once the season is over…it's over. Never one to stand on the accomplishments of the previous season, Bruley looks at the new year as a completely clean slate, And the 26-year coach has his team following his lead.

After a few tune-up tournaments at Cortland and West Point, the Hawks truly begins their 2023-24 campaign Wednesday against Oneonta in a dual match back on the campus of West Point, before facing Oswego and Cortland on the road over the weekend.

"We're super excited to get back into SUNYAC play," said SUNY New Paltz senior co-captain Tatiana Barnett. "We had two tournaments on Friday and we had another one last weekend against Vassar and West Point and we played really well, but we got four new freshmen and we're really excited to get right into it."
 

Last season, the Hawks finished 7-0 in SUNYAC regular season play; a sweep of the SUNYAC Championships semifinal and final matches; a sixth trip to the NCAA DIII Tournaments with a first-round win. Six players earning All SUNYAC honors, including Rookie of the Year and SUNYAC MVP.

Now entering 2023-24, the slate is wiped clean. The team goals are the same as they have been…do well in the SUNYAC regular season, qualify for the SUNYAC championship, win the SUNYAC title, earn a trip to the NCAA DIII tournament. The individual goals are simple…set the bar higher, work hard to be better than a year ago, support each other to the fullest.
With the exception of graduate Alex Chimenti, Bruley returns every player who contributed to the success of last season. Topping the list is graduate student Onalee Batcheller (Westhampton Beach, NY/Westhampton Beach HS).
 
Undefeated in SUNYAC singles and doubles play a year ago, the multi-year All-SUNYAC selection brings experience and leadership to the Hawks. Barnett (Port Washington, NY/ St. Mary HS) missed the 2022 SUNYAC fall season but her experience and composure in spring 2023 greatly assisted the Hawks drive to the SUNYAC title, leading to an All-SUNYAC selection. Fellow senior and All-SUNYAC pick Loretta Donovan (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central HS) was also perfect in SUNYAC singles and doubles on her way to the SUNYAC doubles title.
 
 
Juniors Amirah Alston (NYC/Promise Academy) and Isabel van der Veen (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna HS) both earned All-SUNYAC honors in 2022. Alston was 6-1 in SUNYAC singles play and 4-0 in SUNYAC doubles play, while van der Veen was also 4-0 in SUNYAC doubles play.

Two sophomores hold the promise of future Hawk success. Nina Genzone (Bellmore, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun HS) stepped up when needed in the fall, earning a 3-0 SUNYAC singles record, along with a 2-1 doubles mark. Justine Stanejko (Lakeland, NY/Solvay HS) dominated SUNYAC as a first-year player. She finished SUNYAC play with a 7-0 singles record and a 7-0 doubles record with Loretta Donovan. Named First Team All-SUNYAC in both singles and doubles, she was SUNYAC Rookie of the Year and selected as the SUNYAC MVP.
"I think our depth will help a lot, especially because there's a lot of strength from the bottom up. I feel like we'll all help each other in terms of competition at practice and eventually when we get to the SUNYAC semifinals and finals, we'll be a really strong team," Barnett said.

Four first year players join the program. Once again, Bruley has used his keen eye for talent to bring these four newcomers into the Hawk fold. Joining SUNY New Paltz are Alyssa Trokie (Rye Brook, NY/Blind Brook HS), Olivia Eifert (Islip, NY/Islip HS), Olivia Kunz (New York, NY/Fiorello LaGaurdia HS), and Laina Martinez (New City, NY/ Clarkstown North HS). Trokie, Eifert, and Martinez all have high school experience, with Eifert and Kunz also having extensive club experience.
 
"Everyone is super hard working. I don't really see much competition between the freshmen," Barnett said. "They're all really friendly with each other and I think everybody is excited to help each other grow and become stronger as a team."

The SUNYAC season opens Wednesday before the Hawks host the annual New Paltz Tournament Sept. 23. Two tough Liberty League opponents host the Hawks: RPI on Sept. 27 and Skidmore Sept. 29. SUNY New Paltz then wraps up the regular SUNYAC season with four matches on the road: at Plattsburgh, with Geneseo, Fredonia, and Brockport at the Binghamton Tennis Center.

"One hundred percent," said Barnett. "I don't want to jinx anything, but I think we're very strong, we're very motivated, we're very hard working and we 100 percent can have a repeat this year."

As usual, Bruley has set up a demanding spring schedule against topflight DIII and DII opponents to prepare the Hawks for the SUNYAC Championship Tournament on April 26-27. All nine matches are on the road, starting with a four-match spring break trip to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL.

Fall 2023 Preview Featuring Tatiana Barnett


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