#19 Orange Dominate Harvard

Sunday, February 17

Syracuse, NY

11 am

Syracuse University

Harvard

2/17/2019 2:00:00 PM | Tennis

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The No. 19 Syracuse women's tennis team dominated Harvard from start to finish Sunday afternoon at Drumlins Country Club, dispatching the Crimson, 6-1.

The Orange improved to 6-4 overall with the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Syracuse asserted its dominance from the very first serve of the dual match, earning the doubles point behind convincing victories on courts one and three.

Senior Gabriela Knutson and junior Miranda Ramirez, the Orange's top doubles duo, quickly defeated Harvard's Natasha Gonzalez and Erica Oosterhout, 6-2. Syracuse's No. 3 doubles pair of senior Dina Hegab and junior Guzal Yusupova followed suit with a 6-1 win over the Crimson's Annika Bassey and Anna Li.

The Orange did not take their foot off the gas in singles play. Syracuse earned victories in five of the six singles matches, winning all five in straight sets.

No. 67 Ramirez finished first, beating Harvard's Rachel Lim by a score of 6-1, 6-4 to extend the Orange's lead to 2-0. Senior Libi Mesh earned the third point for Syracuse with a 6-2, 6-1 victory on court six.

No. 48 Knutson wrapped up her match shortly after, holding off No. 75 Oosterhout - 6-4, 6-4 - to clinch the dual victory for the Orange. Yusupova tacked on the fifth point with her 6-4, 6-0 win on court four before Hegab scored the Orange's sixth point, defeating Harvard's Chelsea Williams, 6-2, 6-3.

The Crimson avoided a complete sweep with their lone match victory on court three. Natasha Gonzalez beat senior Maria Tritou by a score of 6-4, 2-6, 11-9 (pro set).

OF NOTE
With two overall wins today, Knutson now has 162 victories in her career. She surpassed Erica O'Neill (161) for second-most wins in program history and now only trails Jana Strnadova (202).

Syracuse's victory over Harvard today helped continue its dominance of Ivy League programs this season. The Orange are 3-0 against Ivy League schools this year, having also defeated Brown and Columbia in the season-opening weekend at Drumlins.

WHAT LIES AHEAD
A four-match road trip is up next.

Syracuse will play three Atlantic Coast Conference opponents over the course of the trip, starting with Louisville and Notre Dame. First serve at Louisville is set for 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, while first serve between the Orange and the Irish is 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 24.

For complete coverage of Syracuse tennis, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Women's Tennis), Twitter (@Cuse_Tennis), Instagram (@CuseTennis).

RESULTS
#19 Syracuse 6, Harvard 1

Singles competition
1. #48 Gabriela Knutson (SU) def. #75 Erica Oosterhout (HARV) 6-4, 6-4
2. #67 Miranda Ramirez (SU) def. Rachel Lim (HARV) 6-1, 6-4
3. Natasha Gonzalez (HARV) def. Maria Tritou (SU) 6-4, 2-6, 11-9
4. Guzal Yusupova (SU) def. Irene Lu (HARV) 6-4, 6-0
5. Dina Hegab (SU) def. Chelsea WIlliams (HARV) 6-2, 6-3
6. Libi Mesh (SU) def. Anna Li (HARV) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Gabriela Knutson/Miranda Ramirez (SU) def. Natasha Gonzalez/Erica Oosterhout (HARV) 6-2
2. Maria Tritou/Sofya Golubovskaya (SU) vs. Rachel Lim/Chelsea WIlliams (HARV) 1-5, unfinished
3. Dina Hegab/Guzal Yusupova (SU) def. Annika Bassey/Anna Li (HARV) 6-1

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (2,6,1,4,5,3)