Score: Hartwick College 5, Elmira College 4
Records: Hartwick (3-4, 2-2 E8), Elmira (0-7, 0-4 E8)
Location: Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, N.Y.
 
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- This evening's Empire 8 Conference match went right down to the wire, as the Elmira College women's tennis team came up just short in a 5-4 thriller to visiting Hartwick College.
 
Elmira opened today's match by winning two of the three doubles matches, earning wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. Katy Jewett '21 and Cassie Brown '21 teamed up for a hard-fought 8-6 win at the top spot, while Marta Kliszcz '20 and Cheyanne Holwell '19 rolled past their opponents at the third position, 8-2.
 
The Soaring Eagles marched into singles action with a 2-1 lead but quickly saw their advantage slip away, as the Hawks earned straight-set wins at the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 positions. Hartwick dropped just one game in the trio of victories and sat one win away from the victory, 4-2.
 
Jewett trimmed the Hartwick lead to 4-3 by clinching her fourth consecutive singles win, this one coming at the No. 5 position, in the form of a 6-0, 6-0 victory.
 
The final two matches on court, Kliszcz at No. 6 and Brown at No. 2, went the distance as both contests finished in three-set thrillers. Kliszcz won the opening set, 6-4, before falling 1-6 in the second stanza. However, the second-year netter bounced back and earned a late break of serve to clinch the third set at 7-5 and even the match score at 4-4.
 
With the match on the line, all eyes turned to court two, as Brown battled Hartwick's Victoria Wilson. After dropping the opening set, 6-3, Brown rallied in another close set in the second for a 6-4 win, which forced a third and deciding set. In a tightly contested third set, Wilson eventually outlasted Brown to win the final set, 6-3, and clinch the match for the Hawks, 5-4.
 
Scores
Singles
1. Sallie Suski (HARTWICK) def. Sarah Hill (ELMIRA) 6-1, 6-0
2. Victoria Wilson (HARTWICK) def. Cassie Brown (ELMIRA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
3. Bella Mastrion (HARTWICK) def. Cheyanne Holwell (ELMIRA) 6-0, 6-2
4. Skylar Watts (HARTWICK) def. Brandi Meeder (ELMIRA) 6-0, 6-0
5. Katy Jewett (ELMIRA) def. Hannah Pettis (HARTWICK) 6-0, 6-0
6. Marta Kliszcz (ELMIRA) def. Gillian Gallagher (HARTWICK) 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
 
Doubles
1. Jewett/Brown (ELMIRA) def. Suski/Wilson (HARTWICK) 8-6
2. Mastrion/Watts (HARTWICK) def. Hill/Meeder (ELMIRA) 8-0
3. Kliszcz/Holwell (ELMIRA) def. Pettis/Gallagher (HARTWICK) 8-2

Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,1,3,5,6,2)
 
News and Notes

• Jewett remained perfect in singles action this season at 4-0.
• Brown and Jewett earned their first win as a doubles tandem.
• Holwell and Kliszcz improved to 2-2 in doubles action this season.
• Kliszcz picked up her first career singles win this evening.

 
Up Next
Elmira will look to rebound from today's setback in its next match on Friday, September 21, when the Soaring Eagles travel to take on SUNY Oneonta. The non-conference match is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. in Oneonta, New York.