FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – For the second time in the last three years, the Manhattanville University women's tennis team has captured the Skyline Conference Championship crown. In a rematch of last year's conference finals, the second-seeded Valiants flipped the script and took down No. 1 Farmingdale State to capture the eighth total conference title in program history.
As was the case when the teams met in the regular season on Oct. 7, the match came down to the wire. The Valiants captured a crucial point in doubles play by taking two of the three draws.
Amaya Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y./High School for Health Professions and Human Services) and
Jenifer Lalman (Schenectady, N.Y./Schenectady) set the tone early with a 6-2 win over Natalia Furchel and Kaelin Burnett in the No. 1 flight, but the other two doubles matches would not be as simple. The Rams evened play up at a match apiece by taking No. 3s, with
Maria Gutierrez (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) and
Bianca Reyna (Yonkers, N.Y./Roosevelt) getting eked out by MacKenzie Gisler and Mikayla DeMaria 5-7. That sent all focus onto No. 2s, where
Adrianna Filippelli (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) and
Addison Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y./High School for Health Professions and Human Services) were locked in a war with Martine McGowan and Gabriella Loria. The match needed a breaker to determine a winner, but the Valiants stood tall when the dust settled, winning 7-6 (7-5) to take a 1-0 lead into singles.
Filippelli showed why she was voted Conference Player of the Year by taking the top singles flight with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Furchel to double Manhattanville's advantage. The Rams got on the board with the No. 5s win as Gutierrez fell to Loria 3-6, 0-6, before
Addison Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y./High School for Health Professions and Human Services) took down Burnett 6-1, 6-2 in No. 3s to put the Valiants one game away from the title.
Farmingdale pulled closer with DeMaria defeating Reyna 0-6, 5-7 on No. 6s, leaving just the No. 2s and No. 4s in action.
Amaya Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y./High School for Health Professions and Human Services) battled back from a 0-6 opening set loss to McGowan in the No. 2 flight with a 7-5 win in the second to send the contest to a third. Lalman, likewise, was in a three-setter of her own after taking the opener of No. 4s 6-4 over Gisler before falling 2-6 in the second.
With both contests continuing, it would be Lalman delivering the final blow, winning the third set over Gisler 6-2 to earn a 4-2 final win for Manhattanville and punch the Valiants' ticket into the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in May.
For her efforts in both rounds of the postseason, Lalman was named the Skyline Conference Championship Most Outstanding Player. The rookie capped off a stellar fall campaign with a perfect 12-0 record in singles action, winning both of her postseason No. 4 flights, while also winning both No. 1 Doubles matches alongside
Amaya Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y./High School for Health Professions and Human Services).
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