Reeling off a 7-0 loss at the hands of Hartwick College, the Brockport Women’s Tennis team looked to get back on track at home against St. John Fisher. The Golden Eagles got off to a strong start, winning all three doubles matches to earn the first point of the match. Despite the hot start, St. John Fisher dominated the singles matches to come out on top 5-2.
In the doubles, the duo of senior Olivia Raschiatore and sophomore Cara Vasile got things started for the Golden Eagles with a 6-2 victory. In the second match, first-year Leah Banes and senior Olivia Chiu also won by a score of 6-2. With the doubles point already secured for the Golden Eagles, the duo of first-year Gianna Masker and sophomore Erin McMichael won 6-1 to earn the sweep for the Golden Eagles.
“Our win today was due to us being able to play with our actual doubles partners; we haven’t really been able to have our teams for the first matches,” Chiu said, attributing her team’s doubles success to chemistry between the players on the court.
“Our teamwork helped us pull through,” Masker said, echoing the same tones.
Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, Fisher dominated singles play, losing only one match, which ultimately sank Brockport.
In the first singles match, Vasile fell to senior Lilly Renzi by scores of 6-1 and 6-2. Banes was defeated at the hands of first-year Adiana Colafanceshi by scores of 6-0 and 6-2. In the third match, Chiu lost by scores of 6-0 and 6-1 to junior Lily Miller. In the fourth singles match, which ultimately clinched the overall victory for St. John Fisher, McMichael lost to junior Isabella Busch by scores of 6-2 and 6-1.
In the fifth singles match, sophomore Madison Ballone fell to senior Paige Kopolow after pushing the match to a tie-breaking set. Kopolow won the first set 6-1, followed by a Ballone 6-4 victory. In the tie-breaking set, Kopolow came out on top 10-8, securing the point for Fisher.
In the sixth and final singles match, Masker earned her second victory of the day and Brockport’s only singles victory after she defeated junior Anna Exford by scores of 6-1 and 6-2.
On the day St. John Fisher emerged victorious over the Golden Eagles 5-2. Despite the loss, there were many positives from Friday’s match which Brockport will look to work off of going forward.
“We’re hoping to win some upcoming matches against teams we did not beat last year,” Kathleen Rogers said.
Despite the recent struggles, the Golden Eagles are off to a much better start than last season, where Brockport did not earn a victory until their seventh match and finished 3-11 overall.
Looking ahead, Empire 8 play continues for the Golden Eagles as Brockport will travel to Nazareth University on Friday, Sept. 26th. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m.
