Tepas Wins State Singles Title
Alison Tepas ’14 captured the first singles title last October at the New York State Division III Championships, hosted by Ithaca College. Unseeded heading into the opening round, Tepas won four matches, including a 6-2, 6-3 win over St. Lawrence’s Elkie Vandenbeemt in the championship match.
Tepas became Nazareth’s first state singles titlist since 1994 when Hall of Famer Kathleen Moynihan ’96 won the title in both singles and doubles.
“I felt pretty confident going into the finals after I was able to beat the No. 1 seed on Saturday,” says Tepas, a native of Orchard Park, N.Y. “I think I’m playing as well as I ever have—especially from a mental standpoint.”
The championship final title was a rematch of a dual match that Tepas and Vandenbeemt played last spring. Vandenbeemt won that match 6-2, 7-6. This time, Tepas turned the tables by “playing consistently and waiting for my opportunities,” she says.
Tepas opened the tournament by upsetting third-seeded Melissa Hirsch of Skidmore 6-2, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Elmira’s Amy Schmidt 6-2, 6-1. Then in the semifinals, she upset top-seeded Maite Vera Antelo of RIT 6-4, 3-6, 10-5.
Tepas later was honored for the fourth year in a row as a first-team Empire 8 Conference all-star for both singles and doubles. She teamed with Sara Kashtan ’17 to deliver a 7-5 record at first doubles. In addition, Krista Pagan ’14 and Ami Petosa ’16 were second-team all-stars in singles while the doubles tandem of Petosa and Jean McCarthy ’17 earned honorable mention recognition.
Alison Tepas '14