Orange Close Out Homestand Against Buffalo

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse University women's tennis (3-3) closes out a three-match homestand on Thursday, taking on Buffalo at 3 p.m. at Drumlins Country Club.

The Orange return to action after splitting a pair of matches last weekend. Syracuse opened the weekend narrowly falling to UMass, 3-4 before bouncing back with an emphatic 5-2 victory over visiting Boston University.

Decorated Duo
The Syracuse tandem of junior Nelly Knezkova and senior Anastasia Sysoeva were named the ACC Doubles Team of the Week on Jan. 20 following strong performances against Cornell and Fordham. The duo teamed up for a pair of victories at the No. 1 doubles position, opening their dual match season with a commanding 6-1 victory over Cornell's Martina Marica and Victoria Zhao.

The Orange pair then faced Fordham's Nevena Kolarevic and Julianne Nguyen, a doubles team that competed in the 2025 NCAA Championships just a couple of months ago. Knezkova and Sysoeva emerged triumphant, prevailing 6-3 in the match. The duo picked up their third win of the spring last weekend, winning 6-4, against Boston University. The pairing was ranked No. 15 in the Feb. 4 ITA Women's Division I Poll.

Opening Action
Knezkova leads the squad in overall wins this spring with eight. She owns a 4-2 record in singles action and a 4-0 record in doubles. Sophomore Monika Wojcik is tied for the team lead with four singles victories.Sysoeva has picked up three singles wins at the No. 2 position in addition to a 3-0 record at No. 1 doubles. Serafima Shastova registered wins against Cornell and Fordham at the No. 1 singles spot.

Newcomers Leena Bennetto and Emma Scaldalai notched critical wins in the clash with Boston University. Bennetto won 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5 singles to give the Orange a 3-2 lead in the match. Scaldalai was the last to finish, winning 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) to earn the fifth and final point of the match.

Fall Success

Syracuse stayed active during the fall season, competing in several events. The doubles tandem of Knezkova and Sysoeva reached the championship round of the ITA New England Regional Championships, defeating a pair of ACC opponents from Boston College in the semifinals before falling to Yale in the finals. The duo also represented Syracuse at the ITA East Sectional Championship, placing fourth in the doubles draw.

Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo enters the match with a flawless 5-0 record to start the spring and has dropped just two points across five matches. The Bulls went 16-8 in duals matches last spring and posted a 5-5 mark in MAC play. Buffalo clinched the No. 4 seed in the MAC tournament, upsetting No. 1 seed Miami University in the semis and No. 2 Northern Illinois in the championship to complete the Cinderella Run. The Bulls would ultimately fall in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 4 Ohio State.

All-MAC First Team graduate student Esmee Andresen highlights the returners for the Bulls. She owns a 5-0 record in spring singles playing at the No. 1 spot. Sophomore Maria Glowacka is undefeated in singles play, posting a 4-0 record at the No. 2 singles position in spring action. She recorded a 16-7 singles record as a freshman a season ago. The No. 1 doubles partnership of Andresen and Glowacka is perfect to start the season for Buffalo.

Syracuse owns a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series, with the two programs last meeting in 2024.

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