APALACHIN – The commanding lead that home team Vestal gained after the first day of the Section IV Class B varsity tennis tournament proved too much for Norwich to overcome, as they took home a second place team finish, on the backs of newly crowned sectional champions Makenzie Maynard and Caroline Stewart.
Vestal claimed the top spot in team play, defeating Norwich by 15 points earning the sectional title by a score of 44 to 29.
“Vestals depth in singles was the difference in the tournament. Both of the singles players from Vestal made it to the finals and that was too many points to overcome,” said Norwich head coach John Stewart.
Winning the singles play was in fact Vestal’s Cecilia Flores who defeated her teammate Angelique deRouen for the crown.
However, on the doubles side of the tournament Norwich's top duo of Makenzie Maynard and Caroline Stewart easily defeated each and every opponent, advancing to the finals. Following their finals victory on the second day of competition, Oct. 15, the duo had amassed a combined score of 48-5 in games played.
Maynard and Stewart enjoyed wins on the first day, Oct. 14, of – first round 6-0, 6-0; quarterfinals 6-0, 6-0; semi-finals 6-3, 6-0 – before Maynard and Stewart handily defeated Anika Dalvie and Anika Mott of Vestal in the finals by a score of 6-2, and 6-0.
Norwich’s second doubles team of Megan Burke and Brooke Steigerwald enjoyed some success on their first day of competition – first round 6-0, 6-1; quarterfinals 7-5, 6-4 – before falling victim to Dalvie and Mott of Vestal in the semi-finals at 6-3, and 7-5.
“Our goal was to get to the semi's, but in the semi-final and the third place match we came up just a little short,” said coach Stewart.
In the consolation placing match following their semi-final defeat, Burke and Steigerwald fell victim to Audrey Burke and Kristina Haller of Maine Endwell who won the match at 7-6(0), and 6-1.
“In the third place match we were up 5-2 in the first set, but nerves got the best of us,” said coach Stewart. “Still it was a great season and a good experience to play at that next level.”
On the singles side of the court for the Tornado, Cierra Sherman earned some key team points for Norwich when she took full advantage of a good draw to win her first round matchup at 6-3 and 7-5 defeating Maine Endwell's Genevieve Picciano.
However, despite the early win, Sherman fell victim to eventual sectional champion in singles play, Flores of Vestal, by a score of 6-0 and 6-0.
“Cierra had a good draw in the first round and took full advantage of it. This was her first sectionals and she played very well. “C” as we call her, was down 5-2 in the second set and fought back to win that set 7-5 and the match,” said coach Stewart.
For Norwich's top singles player in the tournament, Samantha Gage, she would not enjoy the luck of having a good matchup in the first round. Gage would miss being ranked as the fourth seed just barely, and therefore be drawn in to play eventual second place finisher, deRouen of Vestal, losing by a score of 6-1 and 6-0.
“We played a great regular season but luck was not on Sammy’s side with that draw, losing in straight sets to the second place finisher Vestals second singles player,” said coach Stewart.
Emerging from all the commotion of the tournament however, was in fact a new 2016 sectional champion duo of Maynard and Stewart. The duo will advance to the State Qualifier tournament this coming weekend as they continue to represent the Tornado.
Play begins for the State Qualifier this coming Friday, Oct. 21, at 9 a.m. at the Binghamton Tennis Center, where the top three finishers will get the honor of representing their section at the upcoming New York State tournament.

Final team finishes: 1. Vestal 44; 2. Norwich 29; 3. Maine Endwell 14; 4. Owego 12; 5. Susquehanna Valley 11; 6. Chenango Valley 10; 7. Windsor 8; Johnson City 4.