PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's tennis team is back in action on Saturday as Fisher looks to carry over its successes from last season where it made its second straight appearance in the Empire 8 Championship.

Head coach Linda Gohagan will have an experienced lineup along with several talented newcomers to the 2019 roster as the Cardinals look to build upon back-to-back seasons with nine wins.

Junior Kaili Saffran returns to the fold after the Webster native was named First-Team All-Conference for the second straight year in singles play.  Saffran, who was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in 2017, owned an 8-1 mark during the 2018 regular season in singles play and earned five of those wins against Empire 8 competition.  Saffran, who won all eight of her matches in straight sets during the fall, carried a five-match winning streak to begin the season and wrapped up the regular season schedule with three consecutive wins.

A Second-Team All-Conference selection in singles play last season, sophomore Mikayla Santulli is also back for another year after the Central Square native posted a 6-1 mark in singles play in 2018. 

Two more All-Conference honorees will round out the lineup for Gohagan as Cassidy Bell and Zuzanna Pociecha each earned an Honorable Mention All-Empire 8 nod following the 2018 campaign.  Bell, who earned All-Conference honors in each of the last two seasons and was often matched at second singles, went 5-4 on the season including a three-set thriller against Alfred where the Pittsford native won 8-6, 2-6, 6-4.  Pociecha won seven of her nine matches in singles play with each coming in straight sets.  She sprinted out of the gates with five consecutive wins to begin the year. 

Fisher's roster will be bolstered by several key returners who all had an impact on the team's success last year including Amanda Thongsirimonghoun who posted five wins in singles play and Jacqueline Chouinard who claimed four wins in doubles competition during the fall.

Fisher will also look to sophomores Valerie Morgans, Elizabeth Schneider and Veronika Jurczuk to contribute along with freshmen Cydney Bell and Theresa VanWormer.

The season will begin with four consecutive home matches beginning with R.I.T. on Saturday, August 31 before Fisher welcomes The College at Brockport to town on Friday, September 6.

From there, the Cardinals will host Oswego State on September 8 before dueling Hartwick College the following Saturday in what will mark the team's first Empire 8 tilt of the season.

The Cardinals will hit the road on Wednesday, September 18 as they head east down I-90 to take on Utica College.

Houghton will host an Empire 8 pairing on Wednesday, September 25th before Fisher steps out of conference play to host SUNY Geneseo on Friday, September 27th.

The annual Battle of the Beaks will take place at Nazareth on October 2nd while Fisher follows that match with a showdown against Alfred University at home on October 5.

One week later, the Cardinals will make their way to the Capital City as The Sage Colleges make ready on Saturday, October 12 in what will signal Fisher's final regular season contest.

The Empire 8 Championship is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 18 and will take place in Rochester.

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