Binghamton, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz women's tennis team enters its 24th straight SUNYAC Tournament Friday with a chance to make history as just the second program in school history to win four-straight conference titles.
 
Seniors Justine Stanejko and Nina Genzone, if they win out this weekend, would join just four others — all from the Hawks' field hockey program from 2012 to 2015 — to win four consecutive SUNYAC team championships. Four SUNY New Paltz Field Hockey alumnae Dani Ackerman, Jessica Caruana, Sarah Sansone and Alayna Wageman are the only other Hawks to achieve the feat.
 
SUNY New Paltz won out in regular season SUNYAC play for the eighth consecutive year, not having dropped a match to any conference foe in three years, the last coming in the 2022 SUNYAC Finals and since then, the program has dominated.
 
Stanejko has led the dynasty through the last four seasons. She is a three-time reigning Peter Jr. Cahill MVP selection and once again was perfect at both first singles and doubles. She was joined in doubles play by standout freshman Sam Ostrander, who headlines a star-studded freshmen group that has SUNY New Paltz primed for maybe its best season to date. Ostrander has gone undefeated at second singles, as the Hawks swept all five of their league matches through the opening six weeks of the fall schedule.  
Fellow freshman Patrycja Filonik and junior Oliva Kunz have also been perfect playing at second doubles. Filonik has won out in SUNYAC action while at fourth singles. Sophomore Angelica Gabriel and Genzone have won all their matches at third doubles as well with sophomore Sydney Sladicka (third singles), freshman Lula Vann-Brown (fifth singles) and freshman Alex Krol (sixth singles) round out SUNY New Paltz's starting lineup, all undefeated in their respective positions in singles play.
 
SUNY New Paltz. Which earned the No. 1 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament for the seventh consecutive year, will face SUNY Plattsburgh in the semifinal round Friday at the Binghamton Tennis Center. The Hawks won 7-0 against the Cardinals on their home courts Sept. 13. SUNY New Paltz swept 6-0 at first and second doubles, with Plattsburgh playing a tighter match at third doubles with Gabriel and Genzone winning, 6-3. Stanejko and Krol swept their matches against the Cardinals in singles play with Orstander winning 6-1, 6-0, Sladicka, 6-2, 6-3, Filonik, 6-1, 6-0 and Vann-Brown, 6-3, 6-1. The winner of the No. 1 vs No. 4 seeded matchup Friday will face either No. 2 seed Oswego (4-1) and No. 3 Corland (3-2) Saturday in the Championship round.
 
SUNY New Paltz will look to claim its 11th and final SUNYAC title overall, as the University transitions into the New Jersey Athletic Conference next fall. Fittingly, the opportunity comes with some history involved as a win Friday and Saturday would give the Hawks the second longest women's tennis SUNYAC Championship winning streak to only SUNY Geneseo which won seven-straight from 2011 to 2018.
 
The winner of the conference will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament in the spring with the first round slated for May 8-10.
 
SUNY New Paltz is set to face SUNY Plattsburgh Friday at the Binghamton Tennis Center at 1 p.m. To watch live, click here.


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