Inclement weather has wreaked havoc on the girls’ tennis season this fall, but it has not slowed down Palisades High, which wrapped up Western League play on Wednesday (result undetermined at press time) and should earn a high seed in the City Section playoffs. “We haven’t gotten to play a number of our matches, but the ones we’ve gotten in we’ve dominated,” coach Sean Passan said. “My goal has been to get as many girls into the City [Individual] tournament as possible, so I’ve used a few different lineups.” The Dolphins were supposed to host Fairfax on Monday, but the Lions forfeited. Thus, Palisades got credit for not one but two victories without even having to take the court. “It was supposed to count twice since the first match was rained out,” Passan said. “The down side is that I want our players to stay match tough.” No problem. Since it was Senior Day, Passan had his 12th graders take on the underclassmen for some fun but spirited competition. Against University last Thursday at Stoner Park, the Dolphins won 7-0. Samantha Kogan won 8-3 at No. 1 singles; Katie Vincent won 8-2 at No. 2 singles; Lauren Sedmak won 8-2 at No. 3 singles; and Jessica Zionts won 8-5 at No. 4 singles. None of Palisades’ three doubles tandems has lost a set in league. Against the Wildcats, Katie Takakjian and Charlotte Farrant won 8-3 at No. 1 to remain undefeated over the last two seasons; Melody Winkenfeld and Caitlin Roshani won 8-2 at No. 2 and Sara Freedland paired with Annie Gingold to win 8-1 at No. 3. Palisades had its home match against Hamilton cancelled due to extreme heat, but in the teams’ first meeting junior Jessie Cornelli played No. 1 singles and beat the Yankees’ top player Abby Esrock 7-6 (4).
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