Orange Take on All-New York Double Header

Syracuse vs. Buffalo
Match Details: Saturday, Feb. 12 | 12 p.m. | Drumlins Tennis Club

Syracuse vs. Niagara
Match Details: Sunday, Feb. 13 | 11 a.m. | Drumlins Tennis Club

Syracuse: News | Roster | Schedule
Buffalo: News | Roster | Schedule
Niagara: News | Roster | Schedule
Live stats for both matches: Stats

The Orange face a pair of Western New York universities this weekend in their second Drumlins doubleheader of the spring season. Buffalo is up first on Saturday, Feb. 12 at noon, followed by Niagara at 11 a.m. on Super Bowl Sunday. Syracuse is off to a 4-1 start under coach Younes Limam for the fifth time in eight seasons.

The Bulls will meet the Orange after they play two matches on Friday, the first against Siena and the second with St. Bonaventure. Buffalo won its first two matches of the season with ease over Bucknell and IUPUI. 'Cuse has won each of its last five matches against Buffalo, the most recent of which was a 6-1 victory in February of 2017. The Bulls are led by senior Pia Schwarz who has posted a winning record in each of her three years in Buffalo. Taiwanese senior Hsin-Yuan Shih also plays a major role for UB, having racked up 13 singles wins last spring.

Syracuse teamed up with Niagara to form a dual team in November's Buffalo Invite tournament against Buffalo, Cornell and St. John's. Ines Fonte and Zeynep Erman took down Buffalo's top doubles duo of Nikoleta Antoniou and Pia Schwarz, 7-5. Shiori Ito fell to Schwarz in singles competition, but Ito and Miyuka Kimoto defeated Buffalo's Azra Comlek and Hsin-Yuan Shih in doubles. Kimoto got the best of Shih that weekend, winning their singles matchup (7-5, 7-5) as well.

The Purple Eagles enter Sunday's match after a Saturday afternoon bout with Saint Francis. Opposite to Buffalo, Niagara dropped their matches against IUPUI and Bucknell and currently stand at 0-2. SU last faced off with Niagara to open the spring 2018 season. The Orange won that match 7-0, as they have done in all four of the meetings between these two programs. Niagara's lineup is made up of almost all returning players, with the addition of freshman Mercedes Velasco. Sophomore Elena Mayet starts out of the No. 1 position in both singles and doubles for the Purple Eagles.

The home doubleheader wraps up the Orange's non-conference slate. Boston College travels to meet Syracuse in both programs' ACC opener on Saturday, Feb. 19, as the BC men's basketball team takes on the Orange in the Dome on the same day.

At this time, fans are welcome at the Drumlins Tennis Club for Orange home matches. Admission is free. Fans must wear a mask at all times and follow Syracuse University protocols, which can be found at Syracuse/edu/staysafe.

Of note

Dominance: The Orange have never dropped a point in a match against Niagara, defeating the Purple Eagles 7-0 in each of the four all-time matches between the two.
Hotter Than Ever: Polina Kozyreva is yet to drop a singles set this spring. Her staggering 10-0 set record and 60-12 game record accompany the five-match winning streak. Kozyreva has tied the longest winning streak of her career, and a singles win against Buffalo would set a new career high.
Double Trouble: Kozyreva is not the only one undefeated through five singles matches. Freshman Shiori Ito boasts five wins to start her spring career as well. Ito's 9-1 combined doubles and singles record is the best on the team.
Trending: 5-0 records are all the rage with the Orange; Ines Fonte and reigning All-American Viktoriya Kanapatskaya are undefeated in doubles play.

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Players Mentioned

Zeynep Erman

Ines Fonte

Shiori Ito

Viktoriya Kanapatskaya

Miyuka Kimoto

Polina Kozyreva

Syracuse University Athletics