Binghamton, NY – The SUNY Oneonta women's tennis team easily defeated Brockport, 5-0, today to advance past the Golden Eagles into the semifinals of the SUNYAC tournament being held at the Binghamton Tennis Center.  The victory for the Red Dragons avenged an early season defeat of 6-3.  Oneonta will face East Division foe, New Paltz, on Saturday beginning at 2pm.
 
When the draw for the championships were announced the Red Dragons looked at its match up as opportunity knocking.  They spent their practices preparing for the contest tweaking their strategic approach.
 
The hard work paid dividends with an overall team effort in shutting out the Golden Eagles.  The women's doubles competition was tense throughout.  The number one team of Michelle Spencer (Homer/Homer) and Brynn Sussman (Highland Mills/Monroe-Woodbury) played a see-saw match but finally broke to go up 7-6, as Sussman served out the match to secure a comfortable 3-0 team advantage going into the singles competition.  The third doubles team of Christine Santarsiero (Rye Brook/Blind Brook) and Keri Picciochi (Flushing/The Mary Louis Acamdemy) fell behind 3-0 early in their match and then settled down and won the next eight out of nine games and reigned victorious with a score of 8-4.  Number two doubles Emily Denney and Kelly Gochan (Lake Grove/Sachem North) were never threatened and were in command throughout and won easily 8-1.
 
The singles play saw Sussman tie for most combined wins in the last 15 years for the women's program, as she won her 83^rd match. She won handily at number one singles 6-3, 6-0.
 
Denney was overpowering in her victory at fifth singles, never letting her opponent into the match, hitting a series of winners and putting her opponent on the defensive throughout.  Those two matches clinched the dual match thus suspending the remainder of competition securing the shutout.

Singles competition
1. Brynn Sussman (Highland Mills/Monroe-Woodbury) (ONE-WT) def. Rachel Lamont (BROCK-WT) 6-3, 6-0
2. Lauren Bohman (BROCK-WT) vs. Kelly Gochan (Lake Grove/Sachem North) (ONE-WT) 6-4, 0-1, unfinished
3. Natasha Hale (BROCK-WT) vs. Michelle Spencer (Homer/Homer) (ONE-WT) 4-4, unfinished
4. Sam Malak (BROCK-WT) vs. Keri Picciochi (Flushing/The Mary Louis Acamdemy) (ONE-WT) 2-6, 4-0, unfinished
5. Emily Denney (ONE-WT) def. Elizabeth O'Rourke (BROCK-WT) 6-3, 6-1
6. Meghan Storie (BROCK-WT) vs. ChristineSantarsiero (ONE-WT) 2-6, 2-2, unfinished
 
Doubles competition
1. Michelle Spencer (Homer/Homer)/Brynn Sussman (Highland Mills/Monroe-Woodbury) (ONE-WT) def. Rachel Lamont/Lauren Bohman (BROCK-WT) 8-6
2. Emily Denney/Kelly Gochan (Lake Grove/Sachem North) (ONE-WT) def. Sam Malak/Meghan Storie (BROCK-WT) 8-1
3. ChristineSantarsiero/Keri Picciochi (Flushing/The Mary Louis Acamdemy) (ONE-WT) def. Natasha Hale/Elizabeth O'Rourke (BROCK-WT) 8-4