Forks, Ithaca girls’ tennis fall short of NYSPHSAA Final Four berth

Section 1 has continued to dominate high school girls’ tennis, with wins dating back to the first NYSPHSAA Girls’ Team Tennis state tournament in 2021. In the five years since, top Section 1 girls’ tennis teams have stood in the way of Section 4 schools getting a feel for what it’s like playing at the famous USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open.

Ithaca and Chenango Forks made their bid to compete in the state semifinals in New York City, and Section 1’s Horace Greeley and Section 3’s Oneida stood in the way of a program-defining first.

Division 1 | Ithaca (12-2, 10-0 STAC West) vs. Horace Greeley (10-5)

Ithaca faced Horace Greeley for the first time in the team tennis state championships at BU Lane-Starke Tennis Center on Friday, Oct. 30.

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Ithaca has become accustomed to meeting Scarsdale in the early rounds of the tournament – a meeting that’s happened in both years the Little Red have qualified for states (2022, 2023).   

While Ithaca has made more appearances, Horace Greeley has a longer run in the state tournament, with its most notable run in 2024, when Greeley made its first-ever tournament appearance and won its first-ever state title. The team made its second appearance the following year, reaching the state finals before conceding to Section 8’s Syosset.

Advancing: Horace Greeley defeated Ithaca to advance to the state Final Four, where the team will face Cazenovia (Section 3) on November 6 at the USTA National Tennis Center.

Division 2 | Chenango Forks (14-1, 11-0 STAC East) vs. Oneida (17-1)

Chenango Forks faced off against Oneida for the first time in the team tennis state quarterfinals at BU Lane-Starke Tennis Center on Friday, Oct. 30.

Oneida, which is no stranger to the tournament’s intense atmosphere, has appeared in the team tennis state tournament every year since its inception, making a semifinal appearance in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and a state quarterfinals appearance in 2022 and 2025.

Forks made its first appearance in the tournament just last year, when the Blue Devils were booted in the quarterfinals by Section 2’s At-Large team, Scotia-Glenville, in five straight games.

Advancing: Oneida defeated Chenango Forks to earn their fourth state Final Four appearance. The team will face Honeoye Falls-Lima (Section 5) on November 6 at the USTA National Tennis Center.

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NYSPHSAA Singles State Championship

Round of 32

• Jolie Chichak (Shenendehowa) d. Sophie Sweet (Vestal) 6-0, 6-0
• Lily Castka (Bayport-Blue Point) d. Mengdi Zeng (Ithaca) 6-0, 6-0
• Katherine Shil (Byram Hills) d. Caroline Knudson (Seton) 6-0, 6-1

NYSPHSAA Doubles State Championship

Round 32

• Luma Teixeira / Lola Dangin (Ross School) d. Emily Phelps / Jillian Staub (Chenango Forks) 6-0, 6-0
• Meghan Uzzilia / Angela Li (Guilderland) d. Yeannette Sopchak / Sareena Payne (Ithaca) 6-0, 6-0
• Juliette Prince / Selena Wang (Syosset) d. Olivia Hao / Andrea Martinez (Ithaca) 6-0, 6-0
• Daniella Rosenblit / Mia Long (Horace Greeley) d. Emma Stanton / Sam Pratt (Seton) 6-0, 6-0

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Forks, Ithaca girls’ tennis fall short of NYSPHSAA Final Four berth