Liberty League Women's Tennis Championship Preview
Friday, May 3 – Sunday, May 5, 2024; Reis Tennis Center, Cornell University; Ithaca, N.Y.
 
TOURNAMENT COVERAGE:
LIVE RESULTS
Live tournament results can also be viewed on the iOnCourt mobile app.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Friday
2:15 p.m. - #5 Union vs. #4 St. Lawrence
5 p.m. - #6 Ithaca vs. #3 RPI
 
Saturday
2:15 p.m. - #1 Vassar vs. #4/5 winner
5 p.m. - #2 Skidmore vs. #3/6 winner
 
Sunday
1 p.m. – Semifinal winners
 
ABOUT THE TEAMS:
#1 VASSAR (15-3 overall, 8-0 Liberty League)

• Vassar earned the tournament's top seed for the third consecutive season. The Brewers are seeking their first Liberty League title since 2010. Vassar earned the top seed by a 5-4 victory over Skidmore on April 21.
• The Brewers, currently ranked 32nd in the latest Division III poll, enter the Liberty League tournament having won 13 straight matches.
• Sophomore Erin McCusker is one of the region's top singles players with a 22-6 singles record, including 14-3 in dual matches. McCusker is currently ranked 28th nationally in Division III and 12th in the ITA Northeast Region.
• Vassar went 38-5 in Liberty League singles matches and 20-3 in doubles matches. Junior Elyse Duley (7-0), first-year Maddie Kirby (7-0), sophomore Ananya Krishnan (6-0) were undefeated in Liberty League singles play.

#2 SKIDMORE (10-5 overall, 7-1 Liberty League)

• Skidmore is the defending Liberty League champion, having won 12 straight Liberty League titles. The Thoroughbreds were the No. 2 seed last year as well but defeated Vassar 5-2 in a close final to retain the league title. Skidmore is currently ranked 38th in the latest Division III poll.
• Junior Konika Dhull moved from fourth in the singles lineup last season up to the top spot this year and has performed well. Dhull, currently 9-5 in dual-match play, ranks 43rd in the latest Division III poll and 18th in the ITA Northeast Region. She earned a 6-4, 6-4 win over Vassar's Erin McCusker in a matchup of regionally ranked opponents.
• First-year player Katie Wong, who plays third singles for the Thoroughbreds, currently leads the team with a 12-3 dual-match record, including a perfect 8-0 in the Liberty League.
• Skidmore has found success in Liberty League doubles play, going 20-4. The team of Dhull and fellow junior Grace Truong has gone 6-2 at first doubles, including 5-0 in league matches.

#3 RPI (13-5 overall, 6-2 Liberty League)

• RPI has battled through injuries en route to a 13-5 overall mark and a 6-2 record in league play.
• Sophomore Nicole Ridenour has been one of the Liberty League's top players the past two seasons. Ridenour has compiled an 11-3 singles record, including 8-2 in dual matches at the top position.
• Junior Lorna Flores-Gonzalez has split time between the top three positions in the singles lineup and has gone 8-8 in dual matches. First-year player Prisha Rapur has had a strong rookie season, going 10-2 in dual matches, including 8-1 at second singles.
• The doubles team of Rapur and junior Brooke Bauer has had the most success, going 8-3 at third doubles.

#4 ST. LAWRENCE (12-7 overall, 5-3 Liberty League)

• First-year head coach Tavis Rieger has led the Saints to a fourth-place finish, including six wins in the team's last seven matches. The young St. Lawrence lineup consists of just two seniors along with five sophomores and four first-year players.
• Sophomore Angelica Aksdal-Jansen, one of the league's top rookies last year, jumped from the middle of the singles lineup to the top position this season and has compiled a 16-7 singles record, including a 7-5 dual-match record at number one. Classmate Molly Jespersen is 10-4 in dual matches, including 8-3 at second singles.
• Twins and first-year players Ariane and Yvette Karera have been impactful players in both singles and doubles. Ariane is 10-6 in dual matches, playing primarily third singles while Yvette is 12-6 in dual matches, playing primarily fourth singles. In doubles, the Karera sisters have combined for an 11-2 mark at second doubles.

#5 UNION (10-7 overall, 4-4 Liberty League)

• Union, at 10-6 in Division III, climbed to as high as 50th in the Division III rankings in early April – the first national ranking for the program.
• The Garnet Chargers have just one senior among the top six singles players in senior Gracie Nicol. First-year player Luisa Arizpe-Sierra is one of the league's top rookies having compiled a team-best 14-2 dual match record, including 4-0 after recently climbing up to second singles. Sophomore Chara Meidani is 9-6 in dual matches, including 8-4 at second singles.
• The Union doubles team of Arizpe-Sierra and sophomore Kennedy Alexis leads the team with a 9-7 dual-match record, including 7-7 at second doubles.

#6 ITHACA (8-9 overall, 3-5 Liberty League)

• Ithaca, under first-year head coach Tom Rishcoff, earned a pair of 5-4 Liberty League wins over RIT and William Smith to clinch a spot in the league tournament.
• Junior Taylor Crain, the 2021-22 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, and first team all-league selection is one of the Liberty League's top players. Crain has compiled an 18-8 singles record, including a strong 11-6 record at first singles.
• First-year player Alys Pop, one of five rookies on the Ithaca roster, has gone 9-6 in singles play, including 5-4 in the number-two position.
• Crain and Pop have teamed up to form the Bombers' top doubles pairing. The duo has gone 12-6 in doubles competition, including 6-4 at first doubles.

 
NEXT: The championship team will earn the Liberty League's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.