MANLIUS, N.Y. – Cortland finished third out of eight teams at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women’s Tennis Championships, held at the Eastside Racquet Club. Geneseo won the conference crown and earned an NCAA automatic berth with 42 points, followed by 2007 league champion New Paltz with 32 points and Cortland with 24 points.
All six singles and three doubles entries for the Red Dragons won at least one match, with two Cortland entries advancing to the finals. Freshman Gabriela Medina (Monticello) won two matches at sixth singles before falling in the title match, while the freshman duo of Alyssa Tretter (Batavia) and Stephanie DiCapua (East Quogue/Westhampton Beach) posted two victories at first doubles before losing in the finals.
In the other seven flights, Cortland competitors won quarterfinal contests before losing in the semifinals. The Red Dragon singles semifinalists were Tretter at first singles, senior Meg Cole (Homer) in the second flight, DiCapua at third singles, senior Amanda McElroy (Clinton) at number four and freshman Kristina Lazzaro (Williamsville/Williamsville East) at fifth singles. Cole and Lazzaro lost in the second doubles semifinals, as did McElroy and freshman Alana Sullivan (Stony Point/Albertus Magnus) at third doubles.
Medina, seeded third, won her first match at sixth singles over Megan Zarzycki of Fredonia, 6-2, 6-1, and knocked off top seed Juliette Brandon of New Paltz in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-2. She lost to the second seed from Geneseo, Melissa Baker, 6-2, 6-0, in Sunday's finals.
Tretter and DiCapua entered the tournament as the top seed at first doubles. They opened with a three-set victory over Brockport's Kristen Hemingway and Katie Keller, losing the first set, 7-6, before dominating the next two sets, both by 6-1 scores. They also went to three sets in the semifinals before defeating fourth-seeded Morgan Dupell and Valerie Papi of Plattsburgh, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. In the finals, they lost the first set 7-6, with a 7-2 tiebreaker, and the second set 6-2 to second-seeded Julia Passik and Erika Pumple of Geneseo.
Three Cortland entries - McElroy at fourth singles, Cole and Lazzaro at second doubles and McElroy and Sullivan at third doubles - were eliminated with semifinal losses to the top seed in their respective draws.
Cortland Results:
Alyssa Tretter - 1st singles (#4 seed)
def. Valerie Papi (Plattsburgh), 6-2, 6-0
Semis: lost to #2 Tiarra Garrow (Oswego), 6-0, 6-2
Meg Cole - 2nd singles (#2 seed)
def. Calee Prindle (Fredonia), 6-0, 6-2
Semis: lost to #3 Stephanie Schara (New Paltz), 6-2, 6-4
Stephanie DiCapua - 3rd singles (#2 seed)
def. Katelyn Rogers (Plattsburgh), 6-1, 6-2
Semis: lost to #3 Katie Wlodarczyk (Oneonta), 7-5, 6-1
Amanda McElroy - 4th singles (#3 seed)
def. Katie Keller (Brockport), 7-6 (7-0), 6-1
Semis: lost to #1 Anna Lehet (Geneseo), 6-1, 6-2
Kristina Lazzaro - 5th singles (#4 seed)
def. Sarahjean Marhone (Oswego), 6-4, 6-3
Semis: lost to #2 Kerri Serkes (New Paltz), 6-0, 6-2
Gabriela Medina - 6th singles (#3 seed)
def. Megan Zarzycki (Fredonia), 6-2, 6-1
Semis: def. #1 Juliette Brandon (New Paltz), 6-2, 6-2
Finals: lost to #2 Melissa Baker (Geneseo), 6-2, 6-0
Alyssa Tretter/Stephanie DiCapua - 1st doubles (#1 seed)
def. Kristen Hemingway/Katie Keller (Brockport), 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-1
Semis: def. #4 Morgan Dupell/Valerie Papi (Plattsburgh), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
Finals: lost to #2 Julia Passik/Erika Pumple (Geneseo), 7-6 (7-2), 6-2
Meg Cole/Kristina Lazzaro - 2nd doubles (#4 seed)
def. Jen Paull/Katelyn Rogers (Plattsburgh), 6-4, 6-1
Semis: lost to #1 Vivian Cheung/Katie Gayvert (Geneseo), 6-7 (7-9), 6-0, 6-2
Amanda McElroy/Alana Sullivan - 3rd doubles (#3 seed)
def. Mallory Long/Megan Zarzycki (Fredonia), 6-1, 6-0
Semis: lost to #1 Melissa Baker/Lauren Johnson (Geneseo), 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0