Box Score New Paltz, NY – The hype for this show down between the SUNY Oneonta women's tennis team and the New Paltz Hawks lived up to its billing. The Red Dragons had not beaten New Paltz since the 2002 season and have never gotten more than two individual matches during those dual contests dating back 15 years. Today though, things changed and the Red Dragons gave the Hawks everything they had. Oneonta started three-freshmen in the lineup with only one senior and the Hawks started three seniors that were defending the number one seed from the SUNYAC East. The Hawks needed everything they had to take down the unbeaten Red Dragons and unfortunately Oneonta lost their first match of the year 6-3.
The match that lasted four-hours began with doubles. The number one tandem of junior
Alyssa Brault (Rochester/Churchville-Chili) and freshman
Julieta Eulau (Oceanside/Oceanside) pulled off the upset breaking serve to go up 5-4. The break held up and the doubles win was secured on an Brault put away volley. The second doubles pair of senior
Samantha Felice (Seneca Falls/Mynderse Academy) and freshman
Mya Lipscomb (Peekskill/Walter Panas) pulled away in the match going up 5-1. Surviving a scare to get the Hawks pair to 5-4 the Red Dragon duo showed superior net play and finished off the Hawks with an 8-5 victory.
With a 2-1 lead after doubles play, the Red Dragons put themselves in a position to upset the Hawks. However, experience was true to form on this day and the Hawks displayed superior singles play during this portion of the dual match. Brault kept things close in the first set but eventually dropped the match at number one 6-4, 6-2. The Red Dragons then dropped matches at the two, three, five and sixth positions. At number six freshman
Emma Messenger (Marlboro/Marlboro) played a more experienced junior and dropped the first set at love, but rebounded to get the second set into a tiebreaker which she ultimately lost 7-5 in a hotly contested competition. The singles match of the afternoon came from Lipscomb who at number four salvaged a Red Dragon singles victory. Lipscomb dropped the first set 6-2 and then regrouped and adjusted strategy and went on to a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 impressive triumph securing the third victory on the day and the highest total for Oneonta since 2002.
Head Coach
Lonnie Mitchel was of course disappointed in not being able to secure the number one seed in the SUNYAC East. However, Mitchel was quoted as saying "let's not lose sight of the accomplishments of our team thus far this year, this was without a doubt the closest match during my tenure at Oneonta against New Paltz. The experience factor was the intangible today and it really helped the Hawks." Mitchel also added, "if we can take care of our business at the upcoming SUNYAC championships we could get another crack at them. They are not the number one seed for nothing; we'll learn from this and start preparing for a potential showdown."
The SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons will have no time to lick its wounds. They will quickly turnaround and head to Brockport, NY and play the Golden Eagles who are currently 3-10. The Red Dragons will try and start another winning streak to vault them into the championships next week. The match though on Saturday, October 7
th verse the Eagles begins at 12 noon on the campus of SUNY Brockport.