PITTSFORD, N.Y. – For the second consecutive season, the St. John Fisher College women's tennis team will compete in the Empire 8 Championship as the third-seeded Cardinals take on second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology at 12 p.m. on Friday in the semifinal round.  Top-seeded Nazareth College will battle fourth-seeded Alfred on the other side of the bracket with the winner of each pairing meeting on Saturday to determine the conference's champion.  All matches will be held at The Washington Township Tennis and Fitness Club in Washington, N.J. 

The winner of the four-team championship will earn the Empire 8's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship, which will take place in the spring of 2019.

Fisher posted an 8-2 record during the regular season including a 6-2 mark in the Empire 8 standings.  The Cardinals, who began the season with a five-match winning streak, will have a tough task in front of them on Friday as Stevens handed Fisher a 9-0 loss during the regular season.

Nazareth, which won the tournament last season for the first time since 2002, will take on Alfred after playing to a 9-1 record during the regular season.  The Golden Flyers were unbeaten in conference at 8-0.

Fisher will look to sophomore Kaili Saffran to set the tone as the Webster native enters the tournament riding a three-match winning streak at first singles.  Saffran owns an 8-1 mark at first singles with five of those coming in conference play.  Her lone defeat this season came against the Ducks.

Newcomer Mikayla Santulli has made her presence felt as well in singles play with a 6-1 mark including three straights wins while Zuzanna Pociecha is 7-2 on the year in singles play.  Cassidy Bell, Caroline Seaberg and Amanda Thongsirimonghoun have each posted a winning record in singles action.

The Cardinals have also fared well in doubles play this season with a combined record of 16-11.  Saffran and Bell lead the way at first doubles with a 7-2 mark while Grace Peter and Seaberg have found a rhythm with two wins in three chances.  Jacqueline Chouinard has also paired up to win four points this season.

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