WEST POINT, N.Y. (October 23, 2011) – The Empire 8 Championship was decided by a single set on Sunday, with the Stevens Institute of Technology women's tennis team unable to unseat the six-time defending champions from Ithaca College in a tense 5-4 affair. With the teams tied at four wins apiece, Becky Guzzo's (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) three-set third singles victory delivered the championship for the Bombers.
Ithaca got the first point of the day as the third doubles team of Alison Vizgathis (Fayetteville, N.Y.) and Laurel Salladay (Hempstead, N.H.) outlasted the Stevens pair of Morgan Scalzi (Doylestown, Pa.) and Danielle Stewart (North Plainfield, N.J.) 8-6. Stevens claimed second doubles behind seniors Mine Bese (Secaucus, N.J.) and Nicole Portner (Shamong, N.J.) with an 8-5 score.
The Bombers would take the unexpected lead after doubles, however, as Allison Young (Newport, R.I.) and Guzzo engineered a first doubles comeback to win 8-6 and give Ithaca a 2-1 match lead going into singles play.
Jessica Bourque (Houma, La.) and Bese brought back the first singles results of the day within seconds of each other, quickly erasing the deficit and giving the Ducks a 3-2 lead in the match. Bourque won 6-0, 6-2 and Bese's score was 6-4, 6-2.
Ithaca tied things at three-all after Kelsey Harness (Allegan, Mich.) won sixth singles 6-2, 6-2, and then took the lead as Carley Siegel (Dix Hills, N.Y.) won 6-2, 6-2 at second singles.
Sophomore captain Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) knotted the see-saw match again for Stevens, winning 6-4, 6-2 at fifth singles. Her victory meant the match would come down to the third singles matchup of Guzzo and Stewart.
At the time, Guzzo had taken the first set 6-2, but Stewart was leading the second 3-0. With all other matches over quickly in straight sets, Stewart held on for the 6-4 win in the second set to force a championship-deciding third.
Guzzo served first, and both ladies held serve in the first three games before Stewart was broken for a 3-1 Ithaca lead. Stewart returned the favor, winning Guzzo's service game to trim the lead to 3-2. But Guzzo would not drop a game for the rest of the set, winning 6-2 and delivering the 2011 Empire 8 Championship. It is the Bomber's seventh consecutive title and gives them a berth in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
This concludes the fall schedule for the Stevens Institute of Technology women's tennis team. The spring season will begin in April.
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