Empire 8 Tournament Central
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's tennis team has put together another quality regular season, resulting in their second consecutive Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearance and another shot at securing EC's first-ever Empire 8 Conference Championship. Thanks to a 6-2 record in conference matches, the Soaring Eagles locked-up the number three seed in the Empire 8 Tournament and a semifinal date with Ithaca College on Saturday, October 18th.
Similarly to 2013, the Purple and Gold enter the conference tournament with just two losses on their record, having maneuvered through their Empire 8 Conference schedule in near-dominating fashion. EC relinquished just three total points in their six wins, defeating three teams, 9-0, and the other three, 8-1.
Of their three 8-1 conference victories, one came on October 4th against Nazareth College, the team that knocked Elmira out of the Empire 8 Tournament in 2013. In addition to clinching the three seed with that win, EC also snapped a 20-match losing streak to the Golden Flyers that dated back to the 2000 season. Despite their regular season success, the women are not taking anything for granted as they enter postseason play.
"Everyone is relishing being back here again" said Head Coach
James McGuire. "We know that it's not an easy thing to accomplish, but being back two years in a row is exciting."
This will be the second time in just over a month that the Soaring Eagles and the Bombers have squared-off, the other coming in EC's third match of the season on September 10th. Ithaca edged Elmira, 7-2, in that matchup, but Coach McGuire is looking to reverse that result this time around. "I think we're smarter" McGuire said in regards to his team. "We've done a lot in practice from that beginning part of the season and we've had an entire month to grow on that."
EC will need a collective effort to take down the nine-time defending Empire 8 Champions on Saturday, but look for a quartet of players,
Ayaka Yoshino '16,
Amy Schmidt '15,
Kayla Fitzgerald '15, and
Megan Fitzgerald '18, to have a major impact against Ithaca.
Yoshino, playing at second singles again in 2014, has an 8-3 overall record, including a 6-1 record in conference matches. Behind her in the lineup is Schmidt, who at 9-2 has the most singles victories on the team. Additionally, besides a loss in last weekend's New York State Women's Tennis Championships, Schmidt has not lost a singles match since that September 10th match against Ithaca.
Kayla Fitzgerald continues to hold down the number four spot in the lineup, going 8-3 in her final season, while her sister, Megan, opened her rookie campaign with six consecutive wins before falling to Stevens Tech in EC's regular season finale.
Looking towards doubles, the Soaring Eagles boast a strong duo in the Fitzgerald sisters. Together, they have posted an 8-1 record at second and third doubles this season, with their only loss coming during last weekend's New York State Women's Tennis Championships. The Fitzgeralds went 7-0 in the regular season, all of which were conference matches.
EC looks to advance to the Empire 8 Conference Finals for the first time in program history on Saturday, October 18th when they take on Ithaca College in Hoboken, NJ. The match is set to start at 2:00 p.m. on the Stevens Tennis Courts.
