SU is Seventh Seed in BIG EAST Tourney
4/13/2009 8:22:10 PM | Tennis
2009 Championship Central | 2009 BIG EAST Tournament Bracket
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse tennis team earned a seven seed in the 2009 BIG EAST Tournament and will play 10th-seeded West Virginia in the first round. The Orange boasts a 9-2 BIG EAST record (.818) and an overall mark of 15-5, denoting SU's best regular season total since dual play took precedence in the conference. SU has won its last seven league matches, including the last five on the road. On the whole, Syracuse has won 17-of-20 doubles points this year.
SU's 15-5 (.750) overall mark eclipsed the 2005-06 season's record of 14-5. That team went onto finish with a 16-8 mark. In 1978-79, Syracuse assembled a 10-0 record, but that was before dual play came into action.
Under the guidance of head coach Luke Jensen, Syracuse has found solace at home by assembling a 20-5 overall record in three years on its home court of Drumlins, losing only two matches in as many years.
After running the 20-match gauntlet, junior Chelsea Jones emerged to the fore with a team-best 15 singles victories followed closely behind by freshman phenom Emily Harman and sophomore Simone Kalhorn. Both Harman and Kalhorn are riding a seven-matching winning streak on the way to Tampa.
En route a fantastic doubles rap sheet this season, the No. 1 pairing of sophomore Christina Tan and Harman have come away with a club-high 16 victories in 20 tries. The third-year duet of Ashley Spicer and Jones guarded the No. 2 doubles post with 15 victories while the No. 3 post of freshman Alessondra Parra and Kalhorn went 11-6.
Looking to the tournament bracket, Notre Dame has won the BIG EAST Championship in three of the last four seasons. The No. 4-ranked Fighting Irish have been a part of the title match in all 13 years as a member of the BIG EAST and will be vying for their eighth championship win. ND's No. 1 tournament seeding marks the 13th time in 14 instances where the Fighting Irish has been ranked the top team.
Along with the Irish's first-round bye, 41st-ranked DePaul, South Florida and Marquette all earned a free pass into Friday's second round and are the second, third and fourth seeds, respectively.
"Notre Dame is the top dog in the BIG EAST, there's no doubt about that," Jensen said. "But, our team is ready, proven and won't back down from anybody this week."
Syracuse locked up a date with 10th-seeded West Virginia on Thursday, April 16 at 9:00 a.m. The winner of the Orange-Mountaineers battle will move on for a crack at second-seeded DePaul on Friday, April 17 at 9:00 a.m. The two teams met in Morgantown, W.Va. on February 7 as the Orange prevailed, 6-1, for its second BIG EAST win of the season. Despite the WVU encounter acting as one of three matches in which Syracuse lost out on the doubles point, it was one of seven times SU swept all six singles matches.
In last year's BIG EAST Tournament, the Orange tied for seventh place with Rutgers. Syracuse took out UConn, 4-2, in the first match before getting shutout against USF, 4-0. A 4-2 loss against St. John's in the final match sealed SU's seventh place label.
The 2009 BIG EAST Tournament will be held at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. on April 16 – 19. The conference tournament winner earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Below is the full ranking list for the 2009 BIG EAST Tournament:
1. Notre Dame
2. DePaul
3. USF
4. Marquette
5. Rutgers
6. Louisville
7. Syracuse
8. Cincinnati
9. Pittsburgh
10. West Virginia
11. St. John's
12. Connecticut
