The tennis team concluded their fall season by losing to SUNY Geneseo in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Finals by a score of 5-1 on Oct. 10.
This was the sixth straight season that the Hawks lost to the Knights in the SUNYAC Finals.
Fourth-year co-captain Olivia Ammirati recorded the Hawks’ lone victory at singles flight one 6-1, 6-4. Ammirati and third-year Brittany Grandville were named to the All-Tournament at first and second singles, respectively. Grandville was winning her singles match before Geneseo clinched the victory.
Ammirati, Grandville, third-year Emi Lewis and third-year co-captain Carol Tyson were all named First Team Doubles, while Tyson also earned Second Team Singles.
The Hawks lost all three of their doubles matches, but played them very close. Grandville and Tyson lost at flight one 8-5, while second-year Lindsay Haley and first-year Victoria Zezula last at flight three, 8-6.
“Our three doubles had the chance,” Hawks head coach Rob Bruley said. “Unfortunately they lost a really tight match. That would have probably been the difference. I feel that if we picked up just one point in doubles, the momentum taken into singles would have made a difference.”
Before the loss to Geneseo, New Paltz shutout SUNY Oswego in the quarterfinals 5-0 and then beat SUNY Plattsburgh 5-1 in the semifinals.
“They left everything on the court, certainly on the final day,” Bruley said. “The professional way that they went about their business all season, I couldn’t be more proud of a bunch of student-athletes representing New Paltz. They peaked at just the right time, but unfortunately we came up just a little bit short.”
New Paltz finished their fall season with a 6-3 record. The Hawks will not see action again until the spring season. Bruley noted that the team will resume indoor practices following winter break, giving his players time to “put their racquets away for a bit and become regular students.”
“We still have a lot of tennis to play,” Bruley said.
During the spring season the team will travel to Orlando, Florida where they will face many tough opponents from around the country, according to coach Bruley.
Despite the frustration that comes from losing to the same team in the SUNYAC Finals for six-straight years, Bruley remains confident that the Hawks’ time will come at some point.
“Obviously we would’ve loved to have been crowned SUNYAC Champions and represented the college at the NCAA Tournament,” Bruley said. “Hopefully we’ll get there one of these years. It has been many tough finals against Geneseo, but we’ll crack it one day.”