2015 EMPIRE 8 CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
ITHACA, N.Y. — The Ithaca College women's tennis team has captured the last 10 Empire 8 championships, and the Bombers head into this weekend's conference championship riding high after a near-perfect start to the 2015-16 season.

Ithaca (9-0, 8-0 Empire 8) earned the No. 1 seed for the tournament thanks to a dominating start that saw the Bombers claim 80 of a possible 81 matches.

Only St. John Fisher took a match off of the Bombers, during an 8-1 road win Sept. 12. Since then, Ithaca has won all 63 of its singles and doubles matches.

The Bombers recorded seven sweeps in conference play, including Utica (Sept. 5), Nazareth (Sept. 14), Stevens (Sept. 19), Elmira (Sept. 22), Houghton (Sept. 30), Alfred (Oct. 3) and Hartwick (Oct. 4) to earn the top seed at the conference championships.

Ithaca will kick off its quest for an 11^th straight title with a noon clash Saturday afternoon against No. 4 Hartwick (8-4, 5-3). The Bombers swept Hartwick 9-0 Oct. 4 in the team's final conference match of the fall.

The winner advances into Sunday's championship match against the winner of No. 2 Nazareth (7-2, 7-1) and No. 3 Stevens (7-2, 6-2).

The Empire 8 championship, which carries an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III tournament, concludes with the championship match at 10 a.m. Sunday. Saturday's matches will occur indoors at the Mendon Racquet Club. If weather cooperates, Sunday's championship will occur outdoors at Nazareth College.

"Everyone is really excited over this great start. We're all working really hard in practice every day, and you're definitely seeing the results," said Marni Blumenthal, the lone senior on head coach Bill Austin's squad.

"Our coaches are always pushing us to work hard and once we get on the court, we all want to win. We're always pushing each other, and we have a really strong lineup."

Unlike past Bomber squads that have claimed Empire 8 titles, this year's squad is much younger, with six talented freshmen regularly appearing in Austin's lineup.

Blumenthal and juniors Haley Kusak, Jodi Grosberg and Sydney Greenspan are the only non-freshmen in the starting lineup. Kusak has posted an 8-0 record this year at first singles, while Grosberg is 8-0 between fourth, fifth, and sixth singles, and Blumenthal is 6-0 at third and fourth singles.

The talented crop of freshmen include: Caroline Dunn, Shayna Ginster, McKinleigh Lair, and Kathryn Shaffer. Dunn has posted an 8-0 record between second and third singles, Lair is 7-0 at first and second singles, Ginster is 8-0 between third, fourth and fifth singles, and Shaffer is 6-0 at fifth and sixth singles.

In doubles play, Kusak and Lair are 5-0 at the first flight, Kusak and Blumenthal are 3-0 at first doubles, Dunn and Ginster are 5-0 at second doubles, Blumenthal and Greenspan are 3-0 at third doubles, and Greenspan and Grosberg are 2-0 at third doubles.

Kusak and the other upperclassmen said they realized at the very first practice that this year's squad had the makings of a powerhouse.

"When I saw these six freshmen show up to practice and they were all really, really good, I knew we were going to have a great team this year," said Kusak, who has established herself as Ithaca's No. 1 singles player after going undefeated in fall matches.

"It's really special to be a part of something like this. I know a lot of people don't get to experience this kind of success and there is a little bit of pressure on us, but it's good pressure and it is motivating us to continue the streak. As long as we keep a level head and go into the weekend with a good attitude, I think we can win another Empire 8 championship. All of our hard work is going to pay off."

That has been the case in Kusak's career as she has transformed herself into a well-rounded threat at the top of the Ithaca lineup.

Among the improvements made by Kusak: a more consistent and powerful serve, and more power on her groundstrokes.

"I've definitely gotten a lot better since I arrived on campus. I used to double fault a lot more with my serve, but with hard work I have gotten better and have a lot more power than I used to," Kusak said. "When I came to campus, I never thought I would be the No. 1 singles player one day, but I got here with a lot of hard work and practice. The biggest lesson I've learned is no matter how many matches you've won, you have to take every match seriously and not let your guard down."

Both Blumenthal and Kusak credit the talented freshmen with pushing them to play their best on the court. In turn, having as many new faces on the team has helped Blumenthal and Kusak emerge into leaders both on and off the court for Ithaca.

They said participating in Ithaca's Leadership Academy has really helped with their development as leaders this fall.

"We are definitely trying to lead by example, which is the biggest lesson we learned in Leadership Academy," Blumenthal said. "It has been a big adjustment this year as we have a whole new team, but from the first day we have all been working hard and working well together."