Oneonta, NY - The weekend began on Friday night for the SUNY Oneonta women's tennis when the defending Landmark Conference champions the University of Scranton came into town.  On the other side of the net the 3-0 Oneonta women's tennis team was waiting.  Unfortunately the match had to be halted after a short rain delay and ultimately by darkness with the Red Dragon women holding a 4-1 advantage.  Oneonta was  ahead 4-2 and 5-2 on the fifth and sixth flights respectively both in second sets with Oneonta already having won the first set in each of those contests.   Senior Alyssa Brault (Rochester/Churchville-Chili) and sophomore Julieta Eulau (Oceanside/Oceanside) won comfortably in first doubles 8-1.  The second doubles tandem of sophomore Mya Lipscomb (Peekskill/Walter Panas) and freshman Olivia Fraser (Queensbury/Queensbury) also dominated on court two while turning in an 8-3 triumph.  In singles Lipscomb and Fraser at the third and fourth positions were already victorious that brought the Red Dragons to 4-1 needing only one more court to clinch the win.  With Eulau in first position singles, Brault at the number two flight and freshman Alexandra Dratch (Montgomery/Valley Central) number five and freshman number six Madeline Carswell (Albany/Bethlehem) still competing darkness halted the match.  The match is suspended with no reschedule date currently planned.

The next day saw the Red Dragons play a doubleheader hosting the 4-0 Pratt Institute Cannoneers in its first match.  The Red Dragons played several new faces in the dual match but that did not change the outcome as Oneonta moved to 4-0.  Brault and Eulau were totally dominant in the top doubles flight and never relinquished a game on route to an 8-0 rout.  Lipscomb and Fraser dropped one game and stopped the number two Cannoneers doubles pair 8-1.  Newly paired freshmen Giovanna Buccina (Syracuse/Westhill) and Anna Hood (Oneida/Oneida) fell behind 5-4 before rallying to score a triumph in the third flight 8-5.

Singles saw Fraser move from the number four position to the top spot and battled the heat and won the first set 7-5 and then cruised to a 6-1 second set victory.  Senior Michelle Halpern (Rye Brook/Blind Brook) let her experience take her to the finish line tallying a 6-0, 6-3 win.  Junior Danielle Swierczyna (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) played the match of the afternoon.  Dropping the first set 6-2 and not feeling 100 percent she decided to fight on.  The junior was down 4-1 in the second set and was just two games away from defeat, as she fought back ultimately winning that set 7-5 deadlocking her contest 1-1.  She battled to 6-6 in the super-tiebreaker and won the last four points securing a conquest of the third flight in perhaps the match of her career.  Freshmen Amelia Wilson (Averill Park/Averill Park), Ariel Loucks (Averill Park/Averill Park) and Sara Cayaban (Bellmore/Mepham) all getting their first main lineup starts in the fourth, fifth and six spots respectfully lost only ten games between them and allowed the Red Dragons to shutout the Cannoneers 9-0 in emotional fashion.

The second dual match on the day saw SUNYAC rival Oswego visit the Heissan '63 Courts for an all important conference match-up.   Balancing the lineup on this unseasonably warm day, Coach Mitchel put on his regular starters for the number one doubles contest where Eulau and Brault again won with dominant net play 8-2.  Number two doubles had a new pair slotted in, Lipscomb joined forces with freshman Rebecca MacDonald getting her first regular lineup action and the pair nailed down an 8-3 triumph.  Dratch and Carswell, back together for the third position doubles contest, were flawless taking down the Oswego pair 8-0. 

Leading 3-0, Eulau tucked away an 6-1, 6-1 win in the first flight.  Brault had little trouble closing down the number two Oswego foe 6-1, 6-0.  Fraser jumped up to the number three position replacing Lipscomb and on her second singles match of the day she was triumphant 6-2, 6-0.  Dratch moved to the fourth position and Carswell the fifth spot each securing wins 6-2, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-4 respectfully.  MacDonald got the start in the sixth spot and was completely dominant with a double bagel 6-0, 6-0 in her Red Dragon debut in the main lineup position securing the second 9-0 shutout on the day for the Red Dragons.

The Red Dragons now take its 5-0 record on the road and will be tested by the always tough and often regionally ranked  Rensselaer Engineers.  The pair have not played each other since 2013 when the Red Dragons dropped an 8-1 decision.   This competition will take place on Tuesday, September 18th beginning at 2PM at the Tri-City Fitness Complex in Latham NY.