Oneonta, NY – With new promise and hope for a great season ahead, Head Coach Lonnie Mitchel put three starting freshmen on the court for an opening day match verse Alfred University.  With weather threatening all afternoon and the occasional rain shower the Red Dragons battled through adversity and walked away with a 5-0 shutout win to open the 2018 fall campaign.

The action began with the number one doubles team of sophomore Julieta Eulau (Oceanside/Oceanside) and senior Alyssa Brault (Rochester/Churchville-Chili) picking up right where they left off last year and were easily victorious dropping only the first game clinching a win 8-1.  The number two doubles tandem teamed freshmen, Olivia Fraser (Queensbury/Queensbury) and sophomore Mya Lipscomb (Peekskill/Walter Panas) and they never faltered securing victory and Fraser's first Red Dragon career win 8-0.  Freshmen Alexandra Dratch (Montgomery/Valley Central) and Madeline Carswell (Albany/Bethlehem) were paired together for the first time and won the first seven games, hiccupped just a bit and closed out a win 8-3 with incredibly dominating net play.  They both secured their first career Red Dragon wins.

Singles got underway in a drizzle and the Red Dragon plowed through the weather and clinched a win with Lipscomb winning in double bagel fashion 6-0, 6-0.  A rain delay took the players off the court for a period but when play resumed Dratch finally clinched victory for Oneonta and a shutout to begin the season winning also with a double bagel…love and love.

The 1-0 Red Dragons go on the road Saturday, September 1^st and play a flighted tournament at New Paltz competing against their SUNY rivals Cortland, New Paltz and Oneonta's  long time foe Union College. The action begins on the campus of New Paltz beginning at 10 AM.