Sage rolls past Utica, 7-2 for key Empire 8 Win
Troy, NY- The Sage Colleges' women's tennis team hosted the Pioneers of Utica College in an Empire 8 match on Tuesday. The Gators collected the 7-2 conference win to improve to 9-3 overall and 4-3 in the Empire 8. Utica's regular-season wraps with the Pioneers holding a 3-8 overall mark with a 1-7 effort in the league.
Sage held a 2-1 lead after doubles as the pair of sophomore Sammantha Montague (Glenville, NY/Scotia-Glenville) and sophomore Rebecca Jackson (Saugerties, NY/John A. Coleman) took the match at first doubles, winning 8-0 over junior Christa Pham (Utica, NY/T.R. Proctor) and junior Sara Gribanoff (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham). Second doubles went to Utica's graduate player Lule Zhang (Wenzhou, China) and junior Julianne Pieros (Alpha, NJ/Phillisburg), topping senior Samantha Dibbell (Hunter, NY/Tannersville Central) and sophomore Abbey Clobridge (West Sand Lake, NY/Averill Park), 8-3.
Third doubles went to seniors Shanice Mendoza (North Plainfield, NJ/North Plainfield) and senior Lindsey Tolman (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls), 8-2.
In singles play, Montague was a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Gribanoff, while Clobridge, Tolman, Dibbell, and Mendoza all were victorious in singles action for the Gators. Montague leads Sage in singles play this fall with her impressive 8-4 mark.
For Sage's head coach Tom Fashouer, who is now in his fourth season at the helm of the team, the nine wins is a personal-best for the Gator mentor. With the team's win on Tuesday, Sage has nine wins, which ties the program's mark for the second most wins in a season. The 2009 team went 9-5, while the school's mark for most women's tennis wins in a season is 10 set by the 2008 Gators that went 10-5 overall and 7-2 in the Skyline Conference.
Next up for the Gators, they will travel to St. John Fisher College on October 7 for a 1 p.m. Empire 8 match with a possible Empire 8 conference tournament bid on the line.
Tennis Match Results
Utica College vs The Sage Colleges
10/03/17 at Troy, NY
(Prospect Park)
The Sage Colleges 7, Utica College 2
Singles competition
1. Sammantha Montague (SAGE-W) def. Sara Gribanoff (UTICA) 6-0, 6-0
2. Abbey Clobridge (SAGE-W) def. Julianne Pieros (UTICA) 6-2, 6-4
3. Lulu Zhang (UTICA) def. Rebecca Jackson (SAGE-W) 6-2, 6-2
4. Lindsey Tolman (SAGE-W) def. Shannon Fillmore (UTICA) 6-4, 6-3
5. Shanice Mendoza (SAGE-W) def. Madeline McIlnay (UTICA) 6-0, 6-1
6. Samantha Dibbell (SAGE-W) def. Christa Pham (UTICA) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Sammantha Montague/Rebecca Jackson (SAGE-W) def. Sara Gribanoff/Christa Pham (UTICA) 8-0
2. Lulu Zhang/Julianne Pieros (UTICA) def. Samantha Dibbell/Abbey Clobridge (SAGE-W) 8-3
3. Shanice Mendoza/Lindsey Tolman (SAGE-W) def. Shannon Fillmore/Madeline McIlnay (UTICA) 8-2
Match Notes:
Utica College 3-8, 1-7 Empire 8
The Sage Colleges 9-3, 4-3 Empire 8
order of finish: Doubles, 1, 2, 3 order of finish: Singles: 1, 5, 2, 3, 4, 6
T-3:00 A-32
