Syracuse University
Albany
Tennis Opens 2010 Season at Home
1/28/2010 11:08:49 PM | Tennis
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Orange tennis kicks off its 2010 season hosting a trio of duals at Drumlins Tennis Center over the weekend. Syracuse will host in-state foe Albany on Friday, January 29 at 2 p.m. before opening BIG EAST play against St. John's on Saturday, January 30 at noon. A match against Rutgers rounds out the weekend on Sunday, January 31 at 10 a.m.
Third-year head coach Luke Jensen has high expectations for the 2010 squad, looking for the group to make noise on a national level.
“We have the players to jump from seventh in conference to much higher levels,” Jensen said. “We have the fitness, the strength and the tactics. We have the mental toughness and our most challenging schedule yet.”
Syracuse returns an experienced squad of six student-athletes led by senior Chelsea Jones and team co-captains Simone Kalhorn and Christina Tan. Jones finished the 2009 season with a team-best winning percentage (.714) after compiling a 30-12 record last spring.
Kalhorn enters Friday's contest riding a 22-match singles win streak, dating back to last season. The Colorado Springs native is ranked #102 in ITA National College Singles and is one of four Orange student-athletes with a WTA World Tour Ranking.
Tan anchored the Orange at No. 2 singles in 2009, racking up a team-best 32 overall victories with the best singles record in the BIG EAST, 11-3.
Sophomore Emily Harman is the top returning singles and doubles player for SU after amassing a 36-20 overall record last season. Harman was an impact freshman, earning All-BIG EAST honors after compiling an 11-8 record at No. 1 singles and teaming with Tan for a 17-6 mark at No. 1 doubles. Harman is also one of the Orange student-athletes with a WTA World Tour Ranking.
Sophomore Alessondra Parra adds depth to the Syracuse lineup, with the demonstrated versatility to help the team in top three singles and doubles. Parra compiled an 11-8 record at No. 3 and No. 4 singles during her rookie campaign and combined with Kalhorn to post a 12-8 record at the No. 3 single slot.
Junior Jacquelynn Tang rounds out the returners for the Orange, the Las Vegas native went an undefeated 5-0 in limited action last season and looks to have an increased role in 2010.
New to the Orange this season are freshman CC Sardinha and senior transfer Eleanor Peters. Sardinha finished 2009 with a WTA World Tour Ranking and is ranked #74 in ITA National College Singles. The rookie burst onto the scene during the fall season, claiming a pair of tournament titles in singles play.
Peters is a talented transfer from the University of Maryland who brings fire power to the Syracuse lineup. Peters compiled a 32-26 overall record during her career with the Terrapins, despite being sidelined by injury for the majority of her sophomore season.
