The Plattsburgh State women’s tennis team is on its longest winning streak of the season and has the potential to secure the best season in recent years.
The team’s three match winning streak to end the regular season culminated with a win in its first and only home match of the year against rival Oswego.
Head coach Annmarie Curle expressed how important and exciting it was for PSUC to be able to finally experience a home match.
“I know I speak for all of the women on the team when I say that it was awesome with a great atmosphere,” Curle said. “We are so thankful to all the other athletes that came out to support us. It was freezing cold, but it was still great.”
Freshman Kelci Henn mentioned how nice playing on the home court was for both herself and the team as a whole.
“Being a freshman and coming from high school, it was great. No one really came to our matches in high school, so having a lot of support and seeing the amount of people who showed up was great,” Henn said. “It was also a huge change not having to be on the road the whole weekend. It was great.”
The Cards did not disappoint their home-town crowd, dismantling Oswego 7-2 behind strong performances from PSUC across the board.
Junior Jackie Ciriello was very proud of her team’s performance in their final regular season match.
“It allowed us to finish on a winning streak, and I am so proud of my team,” Ciriello said. “The fact that it was home was great too, and it has our confidence very high heading into the SUNYAC tournament.”
This win allowed the Cards to finish the regular season with a 6-5 record, a tally that marks their first winning regular season campaign since 2012 and only their second in the past seven seasons.
All of this success has come about during Curle’s first season at the helm.
Before they can turn a good season into a great one, there is one giant challenge in the way, Geneseo.
Geneseo has won six of the last seven SUNYAC championships, and with a 8-0 undefeated 2015 record, look like another may be coming in the near future.
The Cards know this matchup is not ideal for them, and they are serious underdogs but also recognize the fact that they can learn a lot from a match against such a good team, regardless of whether they come out in the win column.
Henn believes that though the match may look like a sure loss for PSUC, the team is playing its best tennis yet, and they may have a chance to surprise the other teams in the conference.
“We have gotten a lot stronger from the beginning of the season until now,” Henn said. “Heading into SUNYACs this weekend the other teams should know we won’t be an easy win, they should be afraid of us.”
Curle is encouraging her team to take a competitive attitude into the match, but also believes they should keep it realistic to get the most valuable experience out of the overwhelming match.
“They are an absolute powerhouse,” Curle said. “We’re entering with an attitude of really trying to compete with them and give it our best effort.”
Email Bailey Carlin at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
