Knights tennis wins third straight conference match
Photo courtesy of Geneseo Knights
On Wednesday Sept. 24, the Geneseo women's tennis team took their third straight Empire 8 win over the Houghton Highlanders. They beat the Highlanders 6-1, and the win pushed them to a conference record of 3-1 and 4-2 overall. The Knights won all their doubles and only dropped one singles match.
All three doubles teams came out with a strong start, dropping only two games between the three teams. At first doubles, junior Natalie Pipes and sophomore Joann Catalano had a quick win with a score of 6-1. The second doubles team of sophomore Rachel Molloy and junior Samantha Rava followed with a win of 6-1 as well. Pipes and Catalano now have a record of 3-1 for Empire 8, while Molloy and Rava are 4-0.
The Knights had already gained the doubles point for the match, but junior Talia Wutz and freshman Ashleigh Fredicksen assisted the team in a shutout for doubles with a score of 6-0. The shutout was Wutz’s and Fredicksen’s third straight win as a team and helped keep the intensity high throughout the match.
After fast sets in doubles, the Knights narrowed their focus to the singles portion. The Highlanders put up a fight, but the Knights powered through and won 5-6 of their respective matches. At first singles, Natalie Pipes won 6-2, 6-2. Her opponent was like a wall, returning a majority of Pipes’s shots, but with her forehand, Pipes glided through easily for the win. Samantha Rava also won at second singles with a score of 6-1, 6-3.
Rachel Molloy won her match at third singles once again with a score of 6-1 and 6-2. Molloy’s opponent attempted to draw mistakes out of her shots, but Molloy retaliated with winning shots that could not be returned. The win against the Highlanders brought Molloy to a record of 3-1 in the conference.
Joann Catalano dominated her opponent in the first set with a score of 6-0. For the next set, she dropped only two games to make it a score of 6-2. Catalano has been a consistent singles player for the Knights, winning her past three matches at fourth singles. Talia Wutz played a hard-fought match at fifth singles, with several of the games going to deuce point. Ultimately, she fell just short of a win.
At sixth singles, freshman Lauren Levitano won her match 6-0, 6-1. She dropped the lowest number of games for the match, and her success showed through her consistent backhand and shortage of unforced errors.
The win against the Highlanders has now given the Knights a four-match winning streak overall and three for the Empire 8 conference. This weekend, the Knights will be facing the St. John Fisher Cardinals and the Alfred Saxons. These upcoming matches are vital for the Knights to determine which spot they will take in the Empire 8 playoffs, which are set to take place beginning October 14. The match against Alfred will be hosted at Geneseo, and it will also be senior night for Emily Rowe, so be sure to show up and show your support!