Syracuse had to settle for just one win instead of two this past weekend after their matchup against the Villanova Wildcats was cancelled due to extreme weather. Nonetheless, the Orange managed to stay unbeaten against Big East competitors with an impressive rout of the West Virginia Mountaineers Saturday, 7-0.
Syracuse [14] (8-2) continues to fully benefit from the home court advantage of the Drumlins Tennis Center. The girls are 7-0 at home this year, and the team hasn’t lost a home match since February of 2009.
“The fans are definitely helpful,” SU associate head coach Shelley George [15] said. “The environment at home is positive and helps encourage the girls to play hard.”
Saturday, play hard is exactly what they did. Every match demonstrated the dedication the players show towards their craft. Junior Alessondra Parra [16] and Freshman Aleah Marrow [17] both entered the match riding losing streaks, but neither girl let that effect their mentality. Parra defeated a tough opponent at first singles (7-5, 6-4), while Marrow dominated her opponent (6-1, 6-2).
Every match this year there is some milestone to celebrate, as all the players have contributed so much over their years at Syracuse. Saturday marked Senior Simone Kalhorn’s [18] 90th career victory and Senior Christina Tan’s [19] 85th. Both girls are co-captains of the Orange and have been starting singles players on the team for four years.
Tan demonstrated great determination in her matchup. She easily won her first set 6-2, but was slightly blindsided in the second set and fell behind early, losing 2-6. She stayed strong though, and with the aid of great overhead shots and a consistent serve, won in the third set for her landmark victory.
Freshman Eva Raskiewicz [20] has flown under the radar slightly this season, but Raskiewicz shone this weekend, not giving up a single game to her opponent over the two sets at sixth singles.
“We’ve been playing well and practicing all the time and it seems to be paying off,” Raskiewicz said.
The girls hope to continue their stellar play against the Temple Owls on March 6th. The Owls are 4-4 on the season and 3-1 at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center.
