Freshman Olga Shvetsova prepares to serve in the Knights’ 7-2 victory over Cortland on Friday, Sept. 14 (pictured above). Shvetsova was able to secure a victory for the team in straight sets at the first singles spot (keith walters/director of multimedia).
With a series of conference matchups and invitational play, the Geneseo women’s tennis team has had a busy string of days lately. The Knights faced conference opponents SUNY Cortland and SUNY Brockport on Friday Sept. 14 and Tuesday Sept. 18, respectively.
The team also competed in the Swarthmore Invitational over a span of two days over the weekend of Saturday Sept. 15 and Sunday Sept. 16.
The first conference matchup against Cortland ended in a 7-2 victory for the Knights. Geneseo was able to win five out of six singles matches and two out of three doubles matches.
In singles, the team received contributions from first-year Olga Shvetsova, who won 6-1, 7-6 at first singles, and first-year Natalia Krol, who won 6-2, 6-1 at third singles.
Doubles contributions came from Krol and senior Nina Lurie who won 8-0 at second doubles, along with first-year Julianna Schulz and sophomore Gretchen Ayoub who had an 8-3 victory at third doubles.
The match against their second conference opponent, Brockport, resulted in 8-1 win for the Knights. The victory gives the Knights a 3-0 record in the conference so far this season. The team had solid play throughout the roster as they swept the singles category and fell in only one doubles match.
At third singles, sophomore Dana Sorrentino won 6-0, 6-3 and at fourth singles first-year Grace Klomp won 7-5, 6-0. In doubles play, Sorrentino and junior Sam Montague won 8-2 in the first doubles slot.
Outside of conference play, the Knights competed well against some tough opponents at the Swarthmore Invitational at Swarthmore College. The women were able to earn five singles victories and three doubles victories at the tournament.
Leading the way for the Knights were Schulz and Montague who each earned two victories in singles play.
“I think everyone played super well, especially against such strong teams including a Division I team,” Lurie said. “It was really good preparation for SUNYACs.”
Geneseo women’s tennis currently has an undefeated record of 4-0. The team continues to gear up for SUNYAC tournament play which begins on Oct. 13 at the Binghamton Racquet Club in Binghamton, N.Y.
Much of the team’s season so far has been invitationals that span the course of an entire weekend. These invitationals may not show up on the team’s record, but they are great preparation for post season national-level play as the women get to compete against top talent. This experience will be invaluable once they find themselves in a tight match later in the season.
Geneseo will continue to display their talent in conference matchups. They’re a team with multiple SUNYAC titles and are looking to add another this year. Their matches against tough teams in invitational play prepare them for any tough conference matches they may encounter.
Coming up for the Knights is another invitational and a conference matchup. The team faces SUNY Fredonia in Fredonia on Saturday Sept. 22. They will close out the weekend by playing at the ITA Regionals in Geneva, N.Y. on Sunday Sept. 23 and Monday Sept. 24.