ONEONTA, NY – The Utica University women's tennis team took on SUNY Oneonta on Wednesday afternoon at Dr. Heissan's '63 Tennis Courts on the hill in Oneonta, New York. The Pioneers battled throughout the afternoon against a strong Red Dragons squad, with Utica showcasing plenty of fight and gaining valuable experience during the team's season-opening match. At the end of the match, the SUNYAC side ultimately came away with a 7-0 victory over the Pioneers.
The afternoon began with doubles competition, where the Pioneers continued to compete point-for-point against a talented Oneonta side. Lyndsey Tiedemann (Salt Point, NY/Franklin D. Roosevelt) and Averi Kraeger (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) opened at No. 1 doubles, while Hannah Loebbaka (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties) and Andrea May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) teamed up at No. 2. Saige Burton (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango) and Hannah Slater (Schenectady, NY/Colonie Central) rounded out the doubles lineup at No. 3. Despite the final scores, each Utica pairing gained important court time as the Pioneers continued to establish their doubles chemistry early in the season.
Utica carried that competitive spirit into singles play, with Tiedemann leading the Pioneers at No. 1 singles. Loebbaka followed at No. 3, while Kraeger, May, Eh Nay Than (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) and Burton competed at Nos. 2 through 6, respectively. Loebbaka had an especially eventful day in the No. 3 singles match against the Red Dragons' Kiersten Rufrano, taking three games against her. The Pioneers faced a challenging Oneonta lineup but continued to battle through each match, getting comfortable in each of their new roles as the team saw their first action with the new-look lineup.
With Wednesday's contest serving as an early-season opportunity to compete against a strong opponent, the Pioneers will look to take the lessons learned from Oneonta and carry them forward into their upcoming matches. The experience gained across both doubles and singles play will provide Utica with an important foundation as the 2026 season continues.
The Pioneers will return to action this weekend in the team's home-opener, when they welcome Alfred University to the Utica Tennis Courts on Saturday, September 5th. That matchup gets underway at 1:00 PM this Saturday.
