ITHACA, N.Y. – The sixth-seeded William Smith tennis team saw its season come to a close as it fell 4-0 to third-seeded St. Lawrence in the first round of the Liberty League Championships this evening. With the loss, the Herons concluded their season with an 8-11 record, while the Saints improve to 14-4 and advance to tomorrow's semifinal match against second-seeded RPI.
The battle began in doubles play as St. Lawrence clinched the doubles point after securing two wins against William Smith. The Saints defeated the Herons 6-0 in the No. 2 spot and 6-1 in the No. 3 spot to clinch the doubles point. Senior Haley Levine and junior Grace Magna were battling Molly Jespersen and Angelica Aksdal-Jansen in the No. 1 spot but were trailing 5-2 before the match was abandoned due to St. Lawrence securing the doubles point.
The Saints continued their momentum into singles play, winning the first three matches despite several strong performances from the Herons. With the singles wins in the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 spots, St. Lawrence secured the first-round win over William Smith.
In the No. 6 spot, first-year Katie Hardy battled Ellie Fritz but fell 6-3, 6-3 as Fritz clinched the win. With the loss, Hardy concluded her rookie season with an 8-10 record in dual match play.
Magna fell 6-0, 6-1 to Elisa Iuri in the No. 3 spot, while sophomore Bethany Walker dropped a 6-1, 6-0 decision to Yvette Karera in the No. 4 spot. With the results, Magna falls to 9-9 on the season, while Walker dropped to 7-11 in dual match play.
Sophomore Mia Jacobs also put up a fight in the No. 5 spot but was trailing 5-7, 1-4 to Ariane Karera before the match was clinched. Levine took on Jesperson in the No. 2 spot but was also down 3-6, 3-2 before the completion of the match.
COACHES CORNER
"I am so incredibly proud of this team," said Head Coach
Emme Levenson. "Making the conference tournament was our biggest goal of the season and we achieved it through focusing on our growth every single day. This is a special group. I'm thankful for our seniors, Lizzy, Maddy, Marin and Haley for being incredible leaders. The future is bright for this program, and I can't wait to get back to work!"
