By Garrett Collins
The Cardinals tennis team was busy this past weekend playing three games in two days. This was the first action of the season for these Cardinals. They traveled to Newburgh to take on Mount Saint Mary College to open their spring season.
The Cardinals opened up with doubles, Cydney Bond and Sarah Hoffener picked up right where they left off from last season and opened up the season big for the duo winning 8-2. Out of the three Svantner sisters Jacquline made the trip with the team with her partner Alyna Leandry and this duo put out a strong showing beating their opponents 8-2.Â
After not feeling much heat, the Cardinals hoped they would get more of that when the singles sets started to come around. They got just that. Bond and Hoffner both beat their opponents within the two sets. It took Alyna Leandry a bit longer to come out with the win, going into extra sets. Two players that stood out during the game were Samantha Svantner and Sarah Benowitz. Svantner and Benowitz both only allowed a combined one point between the both of them. Svantner hasn’t let up more than one point in a singles match since Oct. 22, those are numbers that she is going to want to continue to have if the Cardinals want to make noise in the SUNYAC. Benowitz, a sophomore who previously was attending Ohio University was an addition over the off season made by the Cardinals — and she did not disappoint. Benowitz started her career as a Cardinal on the right foot winning both of her sets 6-0 already showing that she can be a force come playoff time.
The Cardinals won their game vs. Mount Saint Mary’s 9-0 in a complete blow out of their opponents.
Later on in the day the Cardinals traveled up to Bard College hoping that the momentum they created from the first game would help propel them to another victory. During the doubles section of the game the dynamite duos of Hoffner/Bond and Leandry/Svantner, both won their sets like they did earlier in the day. There was another addition to the slate of duo matchups by way of the other two Svantner sisters Samantha and Nicole who won their set 8-1.
During the singles slate the Cardinals once again didn’t disappoint winning all of their sets in dominant fashion. Two players that got their first action of the season were Bri Miller and Julia Drolet, who both won their singles matchups. The Cardinals shut out Bard college 9-0.Â
The weekend, however, wasn’t over for the Cardinals Sunday, when they welcomed New Paltz to town. Whether it was the fatigue of the weekend or just missing a stride to a SUNYAC opponent, but they were ousted by a score of 8-1. The lone winning set came from Bri Miller who won the last singles set of the afternoon.
The Cardinals continue the season in Binghamton when they take on a slate of SUNYAC opponents before the playoffs.           Â
