ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's tennis team (6-5, Empire 4-2) fell to St. John Fisher College 4-5 on Saturday afternoon on the William T. Brown Tennis Courts.
 
The Saxons lost to the Cardinals despite jumping out to an early 3-0 lead following doubles play. Senior Rachel Pera (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore West) and junior Miranda Sakala (Olean, NY/Olean) paired up at #3 singles to earn AU's first win of the day, 8-1. They were soon followed by senior Nurila Kambar (Almaty, Kazakhstan/Republic Physics and Mathematics School) and sophomore Lauren Boshart (Oswego, NY/Oswego) who earned an 8-4 win. Finally, seniors Tori Pellegrino (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Inda Gillett (South Kortright, NY/Delaware Academy) wrapped up the doubles sweep at 8-6.
 
Sakala extended the AU lead to 4-0, dominating at #5 singles, 6-1, 6-1. She continued her stellar start to her collegiate career, moving her record to 10-1 overall. During the 2018 season, she is 7-1 in singles play and 5-4 in doubles play.
 
Following Sakala's win, the Cardinals flipped the match over and won five-straight matches to take home the win.
 
"Hats off to Fisher for a great match today," Head Coach Jordan Crouch said. "They refused to give up after a strong start from our team. It was a great match and I'm looking forward to another on Tuesday at Houghton."
 
The Saxons will take on the Highlanders at 4PM on Tuesday October 2, 2018 in Houghton, NY.