Resilient Orange Dealt 4-3 Setback Against BIG EAST foe Pitt

Sunday, March 23

Syracuse, N.Y.

11:00 a.m.

Syracuse University

Pittsburgh

Sophomore Ashley Spicer ended a six-match skid with her ninth singles win of the season on Sunday against Pittsburgh.

Resilient Orange Dealt 4-3 Setback Against BIG EAST foe Pitt

3/23/2008 8:34:15 PM | Tennis

Match Results

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse tennis team’s resiliency took center stage on Sunday at the Drumlins Tennis Center against BIG EAST foe Pittsburgh. Despite surrendering the match’s doubles point and the first two singles contests, the Orange rally nearly turned fruitful before suffering a 4-3 setback.

After the Panthers escaped with the doubles point, the freshmen duo of Christina Tan and Simone Kalhorn suffered 6-2, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-2 losses at the No. 1 and 2 singles positions, respectively. From there, the Orange rebounded and knotted the score at 3-3.

Freshman Jacquelynn Tang ignited the resurgence with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory at the No. 6 position against Leah Friedman. Tang improved her record to 10-7 in singles play with the win against the senior. Friedman entered Sunday’s contest as the latest Panther to earn her 100^th-career victory.

Syracuse evened the match behind a pair of come-from-behind triumphs by junior Maria Vasilyeva and sophomore Ashley Spicer.

Vasilyeva rallied from a one-set deficit to garner to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win at the No. 3 position against rookie Elizabeth Adams. Vasilyeva’s win was her third straight and eighth in the last 10 matches. She owns a team-best 12-5 record in singles competition, including an 8-4 mark at the No. 3 spot.

Spicer endured a 6-1 loss in the first set, but battled to a 7-6 (7-3) tie-breaker win in the second against Christie D’Achille at the No. 4 position. Spicer took command of the third set early en route to the 6-2 triumph. With the win, she puts to rest a six-match skid and is now 9-8 on the season.

With the contest deadlocked, attention turned to veterans Chelsea Jones and Carlie Smith at the No. 6 position. Jones secured a 7-6 (7-5) win in the first set before Smith answered with a 7-6 (7-4) victory in the second. The marathon match, that last nearly three hours, came to a close with Smith’s 6-4 win in the third frame.

The loss was the Orange’s first at the Drumlins Tennis Center in 2008.

There’s no rest for the weary as Syracuse will continue a season-long five-match homestand on Tuesday, March 25 against BIG EAST foe Villanova at 2:00 p.m.