Orange Tames Red Storm, Earns Sixth BIG EAST Win

Saturday, March 29

Syracuse, N.Y.

2:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

St. John's

Sophomore Chelsea Jones claimed her third singles victory in as many matches against St. John's on Saturday.

Orange Tames Red Storm, Earns Sixth BIG EAST Win

3/29/2008 7:37:53 PM | Tennis

Match Results

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse tennis team (9-11, 6-4) collected its third win in the last three matches with a 4-3 victory against BIG EAST foe St. John’s (3-10, 1-3) on Saturday at the Drumlins Tennis Center. The Orange improves its mark to 7-1 at home in 2008.

The Orange jumped on the Red Storm early and captured the doubles tally for the third straight contest behind an 8-3 win from junior Maria Vasilyeva and freshman Christina Tan at the No. 3 position versus Ashley Harper and Jenny Yonkus.

Sophomores Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer secured the 1-0 advantage with a 9-7 victory at No. 2 against Gabi Gasiunaite and Emily Barnett. Syracuse improves to 9-0 this season when winning the doubles point.

Rookie Simone Kalhorn led the SU charge in singles play, notching her third straight victory at the No. 2 position. Kalhorn bested Barnett in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

Spicer is riding a four-match win streak after an emphatic 6-1, 6-1 win at the No. 4 position against Gasiunaite. She is now 12-8 in singles action on the season, including a 12-3 record at the four spot.

Jones totaled her third consecutive triumph with a 6-1, 6-4 win at the No. 5 position against Harper. She owns an 11-8 mark this season and a 7-3 record against BIG EAST opponents.

Vasilyeva’s five-match win streak and perfect conference play ended Saturday after a 3-6, 6-2, 10-8 setback against Ira Aleksova at the No. 3 position. Vasilyeva is 9-1 in singles play versus BIG EAST competition in 2008.

With the win, second-year head coach Luke Jensen claims his 20^th win at the helm of the Orange tennis program, surpassing Birgitta Warbach for third-place all-time on the SU coaching charts.

In between Saturday’s doubles and singles competitions, Jensen challenged Orange fans in a “Return-A-Serve” contest. Participants donated $1.00 to the Orange Tennis Initiative for the opportunity to test the French Open Champion’s dual-hand serving style.

The Syracuse tennis team returns to the Drumlins Tennis Center hard-court for the home schedule finale on Saturday, April 5 against BIG EAST foe Rutgers at 10:00 a.m.