Box Score Score: Elmira College 5, Utica College 4
Records: Elmira (1-0, 1-0 E8), Utica (0-1, 0-1 E8)
Location: Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, N.Y.
 
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- Today's season- and conference-opening contest was decided by the final match on court, as freshman Cassie Brown '21 delivered the match-winning victory at sixth singles to propel the Elmira College women's tennis team to a 5-4 win over Utica College. With the win, Elmira has successfully marched away victorious in three consecutive home-opening matches dating back to 2015.
 
The outcome of the doubles portion of today's match was key in Elmira's victory, as the Purple and Gold claimed two of the three points. Senior-freshman combo Megan Fitzgerald '18 and Katy Jewett '21 teamed up for a no-nonsense 8-0 win at first doubles, while rookies Eliza Johnson '21 and Brown were 8-3 winners at the third spot.
 
Following a Utica win at third singles, Fitzgerald made quick work of her opponent with another straight-forward victory. The Thomaston, Connecticut, native rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 win at the No. 1 position, which brought the Soaring Eagle lead to 3-2. Sarah Hill '19 increased the Elmira lead to 4-2 thanks to a straight-set victory, 6-3, 6-2, at the No. 4 spot.
 
After dropping the opening set, it looked as though EC's Johnson was going to rally late in the contest to deliver the match-deciding point in three sets. Johnson, who split the first two sets by identical 6-4 scores, was up a break, 5-4, in the third and was serving for the match. However, a stingy Julianne Pieros would not go away quietly, as the UC veteran rallied for three straight games to clinch the point at No. 2 singles, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
 
Pieros' win was followed with a straight-set win by the Pioneers at the No. 5 position, putting all eyes on court one, which featured Brown and Utica's Bianca Bockhaus at sixth singles. Momentum in the opening set teetered between both players and eventually led to an opening-set tiebreaker. Brown proved to be too steady in the breaker, as the product of Union Springs, New York, clipped Bockhaus, 7-3. Brown carried that momentum into the second set, where she refused to drop a single game en route to a 7-6 (3), 6-0 win and vault the Soaring Eagles to a 5-4 season- and conference-opening victory.
 
Scores
Singles
1. Megan Fitzgerald (ELMIRA) def. Sara Gribanoff (UTICA) 6-1, 6-0
2. Julianne Pieros (UTICA) def. Eliza Johnson (ELMIRA) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
3. Lulu Zhang (UTICA) def. Emily Green (ELMIRA) 6-0, 6-2
4. Sarah Hill (ELMIRA) def. Madeline McIlnay (UTICA) 6-3, 6-2
5. Shannon Fillmore (UTICA) def. Danielle Bliss (ELMIRA) 6-0, 6-2
6. Cassie Brown (ELMIRA) def. Bianca Bockhaus (UTICA) 7-6 (7-3), 6-0
 
Doubles
1. Fitzgerald/Jewett (ELMIRA) def. Gribanoff/McIlnay (UTICA) 8-0
2. Zhang/Pieros (UTICA) def. Green/Hill (ELMIRA) 8-4
3. Johnson/Brown (ELMIRA) def. Fillmore/Pham (UTICA) 8-3
 
News and Notes

• Elmira clinched its third consecutive home-opening win, a mark that dates back to the 2015 season.
• The Soaring Eagles improved to 27-2 all-time against the Pioneers.
• Elmira picked up its first E8-opening win since the 2014 fall season.
• Three EC freshmen made their debut this afternoon: Brown, Jewett and Johnson.
• Brown and Fitzgerald were double-winners for the Soaring Eagles, earning wins in both singles and doubles.
• Brown won the match-deciding contest at the No. 6 singles position, 7-6 (3), 6-0.
• Jewett, Johnson and Brown each earned their first collegiate victories this afternoon.
• Fitzgerald inched closer to EC's all-time wins record and now owns 65 total career wins.

 
Up Next
Elmira will look to build off of today's win tomorrow afternoon, as the Purple and Gold head to the Flower City to take on the Golden Eagles of Brockport. The opening serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.