The Wellsville and Avoca-Prattsburgh tennis teams have a mix of seniors leadership and young players. They also have two of the top programs in Section V.
On Tuesday at HFL, they will meet for the title as both won semi-finals games.
To get to the finals, #2 A-P defeated #3 Lyons, 4-1 to improve to 12-3.
In a rematch of the 2022 Section V championship, Wellsville downed A-A, 4-1 to improve to 15-0.
Here is the story from the Wellsville, A-A game and some A-P stories:
WELLSVILLE — The rain forced Wellsville to wait until Saturday night to try and make that final giant leap towards a return trip to the Class B2 Finals after the weekend. Their opposition standing in their way: No. 4 Alfred-Almond — the same Lady Eagles they faced in last year’s Finals to capture the coveted championship brick.
It was not easy by any means, but in what was their final home game of the 2023 campaign, the Lady Lions of Wellsville did what they had to do to punch their return ticket back to the Class B2 Finals, as they garnered a pair of wins in both singles and doubles competition to power up their third victory over Alfred-Almond this year. This one, the biggest of them all in front of their home crowd in what was a 4-1 decision.
Paving the way for the Lady Lions (15-0) was Samantha Bidzerkowny and her dominant performance at first singles, as she nearly collected a straight-set shutout of Alfred-Almond’s Candy Zhou, but ultimately picked up the 6-0, 6-1 win. At second singles, Meagan Riley collected her victory after a hard-fought battle through a second-set tiebreak with Beatrice Beaudry, surviving to clinch a resilient 6-0, 7-6 (3) victory.
To finish off their match victory, Wellsville also collected wins in both doubles matches, as the first doubles duo of Hanna Miles and Caitlin Bittel delivered another strong performance to take the 6-0, 6-3 win, while at second doubles, McKenna Wonderling and Kelsey Seely took care of business with a 6-0, 6-1 decision.
Alfred-Almond garnered their victory at third singles from Jennifer Bensley in the midst of a back-and-forth battle with Wellsville’s Sarah Mattison, as she rebounded from a first-set defeat and recorded the next two victories in 6-4, 6-4 fashion to claim the win.
Up next for the Lady Lions: The Class B2 Finals, as they now travel to Honeoye Falls-Lima on Tuesday to battle No. 3 Avoca/Prattsburgh for the coveted grand prize in a 4 p.m. first serve.
Singles
1. Samantha Bidzerkowny (WLSV) def. Candy Zhou (A-A), 6-0, 6-1.
2. Meagan Riley (WLSV) def. Beatrice Beaudry (A-A), 6-0, 7-6 (3).
3. Jennifer Bensley (A-A) def. Sarah Mattison (WLSV), 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Doubles
1. Hanna Miles/Caitlin Bittel (WLSV) def. Sarah Eleshaky/Eleanor Drozeski (A-A), 6-0, 6-3.
2. McKenna Wonderling/Kelsey Seely (WLSV) def. A. Gagne/Allegra Bordeaux (A-A), 6-1, 6-0.
From Sept. 15:
Bidzerkowny wins 1st singles marathon, Lady Lions perform sweep of Avoca/Prattsburgh to move to 6-0; A-A downs Fillmore with 5-0 road blank
WELLSVILLE — Sam Bidzerkowny was one of the last Lady Lions competitors left on the court on Friday. As the sun began to set, the lights soon came on as she and Avoca/Prattsburgh’s Genevieve Dabby engaged in a first singles battle for the books. Points were traded back and forth, leading up to a third-set tiebreak.
A tiebreak that Bidzerkowny would deliver the upper hand on, as she went on to defeat Dabby in a thriller to help finish off what would become a 5-0 sweep of the Lady Titans to record their sixth straight win to open their 2023 campaign.
After falling in the opening set in a close 6-4 decision to Dabby, Bidzerkowny rallied back in yet another close battle to record a 6-4 win herself to tie the game at one. When the lights came on for the third and final set between the two competitors, it would need even more time to decide the winner, as the action was forced into a tie break after a 6-all tie — one that Bidzerkowny would break to end an incredible match from start to finish.
The Lady Lions (6-0) would also see Meagan Riley and Sarah Mattison help finish off the singles sweep with their straight-set wins at second and third singles, respectively. In doubles action, the team of Hanna Miles and Caitlin Bittel survived a second-set tie break with Avoca/Prattsburgh’s Olivia Mullen and Gracie Cole to record the 6-1, 7-5 win, while Kelsey Seely and McKenna Wonderling swept their second doubles match in shutout style with a 6-0, 6-0 win.
Wellsville turns right back around and hops back onto their home court this morning with a 10 a.m. first serve against Addison.
Singles
1. Sam Bidzerkowny (WLSV) def. Genevieve Dabby (A/P), 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
2. Meagan Riley (WLSV) def. Camryn Moore (A/P), 6-2, 6-2.
3. Sarah Mattison (WLSV) def. Pauline Charron (A/P), 6-1, 6-0.
Doubles
1. Hanna Miles/Caitlin Bittel (WLSV) def. Olivia Mullen/Gracie Cole (A/P), 6-1, 7-5.
2. Kelsey Seely/McKenna Wonderling (WLSV) def. Ginny Savage/Nataley Patoine (A/P), 6-0, 6-0.
