The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Oneida, Cazenovia gearing up for season
The two Section III powerhouses are hoping to continue their track records of success.
The Oneida and Cazenovia girls tennis programs begin the 2018 season in similar situations.
Both teams are coming off of league championship titles - Oneida in the Tri-Valley Pioneer and Cazenovia in the Onondaga High School National - in which they surpassed 15 wins.
Oneida steam-rolled its way to the Section III Class B championship game before falling to Christian Brothers Academy, while Cazenovia won the Class C Section III banner with a win over Lowville in team play.
If the two Section III powerhouses want to continue their track record of success, they will have to rely on a mix of veterans and newcomers after the two schools graduated a combined eight all-stars in June.
Head coach Todd Hicks and Oneida opened play on Monday at their annual Parkway Tournament in Utica, and one of the familiar faces in Hicks’ lineup is senior Lauren Skibtiski, a first-
team singles all-star in 2017. Skibitski is a holdover from Hicks’ Oneida teams that won back-toback section titles in 2014 and 2015 and also represented Oneida in the state doubles playoffs in 2017.
Sydney Lusher, Kathryn Brown, Molly Moyer, Emily Marshall, Mattie Hicks, and Sophia Skinner round out Oneida’s key returners in 2018 as the program seeks its first sectional title since 2015.
“Win the league and compete for a sectional title,” Hicks said of his team’s goals for new year.
Now in his 17th year as head coach and with more than 275 career wins, Hicks expects freshman newcomer Kaylin Curro to contribute to the team’s success.
The Lakers return talented junior Alex Galle, a first-team all-star in singles play, from a season ago as they begin new head coach Ken Garay’s tenure. Also back for Cazenovia are Laura Connor (2017 doubles all-star), Abby Burrell (honorable mention), Charlize Harris, Kaitlyn Puffer, and Nina Royer.
Newcomers expected to contribute for the Lakers this fall include Emmie Dolbear, Clare Douglas, Nova Berger, and Ella Koch.
“Our goal is to be in every match and prepare for sections, team, and individual play,” Garay said, noting that the roster shakeup from last year to this year will mean players adjusting to new positions and partners. “Returning players along with newcomers will look to be competitive and improve as the season progresses.”