SUNY Oneonta Athletics

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- The Oneonta women's tennis team picked up a hard-fought SUNYAC road win in the Battle of the Red Dragons at Cortland, Saturday afternoon. Oneonta earned the doubles point in the match, then with the match tied at 3-3, senior captain Haley Peck (West Point, N.Y./James I. O'Neil) won on the No.1 singles court and clinched the 4-3 victory for Oneonta. Junior captain Annika Cripe (Islip, N.Y./Islip) and sophomore Dakota Jimenez (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) both earned wins in singles play to help Oneonta improve their record to 6-0 this season and 2-0 in SUNYAC play. The result dropped Cortland to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play.  

"Couldn't be happier with our start to the season and today's result!" Head Coach Brian Roser exclaimed. "This marks our sixth consecutive match securing the doubles points, which proved crucial today. I'm really proud of how these girls played, defeating a Cortland team that finished second in the conference last year and was picked as the preseason favorite to win the SUNYAC this year. It feels great to be back on top in the Battle of the Red Dragons with our first victory over them in four years." 

Cortland took the first court in doubles play on court two. Jimenez teamed up with sophomore Ashley Glaviano (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove) on court three and defeated Anneli Adams and Emma Morley, 6-3, to tie the match. With the top doubles court left, Cripe and Peck came out on top with a 6-4 win over Christina Massoni and Gabriella Stanely, securing the doubles point. The win improved Peck and Cripe's record to 6-0 as a duo, while Jimenez and Glaviano boosted their team record to 4-0.  

"We relied heavily on our captains Haley Peck (West Point, N.Y./James I. O'Neil) and Annika Cripe (Islip, N.Y./Islip), who both earned victories in singles and doubles," Coach Roser continued. "Dakota Jimenez (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) was also outstanding, winning both of her matches while spending the least amount of time on court. A special shoutout to Ashley Glaviano (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove) for her exceptional doubles play, which helped us clinch that critical early point." 

Jimenez started singles play off in Oneonta's favor with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Adams on court five and improved to 3-1 in singles play this season. On court two, Cripe outlasted Stanley to win the first set, 7-5, then she handled her Cortland opponent in the second set 6-1. The victory gave Cripe a 4-0 start to the year in singles play.  

Cortland took courts three, four, and six in close matches to tie the match at 3-3. Junior Taylor Plue (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) went into a first set tiebreaker on court three, but Reaghan Hughes sneaked by with the set and match, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. Sophomore Kiersten Rufrano (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) had dropped narrow 6-4 sets to Alexandra Thut on court four, and freshman Reagan Knapp (/) came up short in straight 7-5 sets to Gracie Guiliano.  

With the top singles court left, Peck faced Massoni in a back-and-forth battle. The first set went into a tiebreaker, where the Oneonta senior gained the upper hand and won, 7-4. The two Red Dragons once again traded games throughout the second set, and before Massoni could force another set tiebreaker, Peck won the match, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, and secured Oneonta's victory. Peck is now 5-1 on the No. 1 court this season.

"Lastly, extra congratulations to Peck, who took down Cortland's senior at the No. 1 singles line on their Senior Day, winning in walk-off fashion to secure the match overall," Coach Roser concluded. "She handled the pressure amazingly to earn us our second conference win this season. We're excited to keep this momentum going into next weekend against Fredonia!"  

Oneonta is back home for their next match on Friday, September 25, when they face Fredonia in SUNYAC play at 3 pm at the Dr. Heissan '63 Tennis Courts.   Read Full Article