The Geneseo women's tennis team placed second at this past weekend's SUNYAC tennis championships in Manlius, N.Y. The Knights finished the tournament with 29 points, just three points behind first place New Paltz.
The Knights entered the tournament 8-0 on the season, a record that included a Sept. 14 win at New Paltz. The Knights' six singles entrants and three doubles teams breezed through early round play on Friday and Saturday as they each advanced to the finals without dropping a set.
Senior Kristen Greiner (6-2, 6-2), sophomore Anna Lehet (6-3, 7-6) and freshman Molly Dingley (7-5, 6-3) each brought home an individual championship for the Knights with their wins at second, fifth and sixth singles respectively. Sophomore Erika Pumple (3-6, 0-6), junior Vivian Cheung (2-6, 1-6) and junior Caitlin Sternberg (4-6, 4-6) each had a harder time during their finals match and had to settle for second place at first, third and fourth singles, respectively. Unfortunately for the Knights, those three losses came at the hands of New Paltz players.
Heading into the doubles finals, Geneseo and New Paltz were dead even. With each doubles match pitting Geneseo versus New Paltz, the title was sure to be decided.
At first doubles Pumple and Greiner lost what could only be described as the match of the year. It was a three-set heartbreaker in which they lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9) to the New Paltz's Dana Lim and Eri Yamakawa. At second doubles Cheung and Sternberg were defeated by the New Paltz team of Laura-Elizabeth Beirne and Lyndsey Lovinger in straight sets: 6-7 (5), 2-6. The Knight's Lehet teamed with sophomore Allison Kornblatt at third doubles, only to suffer another defeat at the hands of a New Paltz doubles team: This time it was a 3-6, 4-6 loss to Lindsay Trifiletti and Stephanie Schara.
Despite the second place finish, there is much to look forward to for the team. Although the Knights will lose Greiner to graduation next year, they will return everyone else from this year's team, including SUNYAC champions Dingley and Lehet. Certainly these Knights will be poised to make a run at not only the SUNYACs next year, but also at an NCAA Division III championship.