Tennis Orange Spotlight Recaps 2009
BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
SYRACUSE CAPS HISTORIC WITH SEVENTH-PLACE TIE AT BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
WEST VIRGINIA - 10th SEED
The seventh-seeded Syracuse tennis team continued its tear with a 4-0 victory against 10th-seeded West Virginia in the first round of the 2009 BIG EAST Tournament on Friday morning at the Andros Dorm Courts on South Florida's campus.
With the Orange's eighth consecutive BIG EAST victory, sixth straight on the road, comes a second-round date with second-seeded DePaul tomorrow, April 17 at 9:00 a.m.
Syracuse overcame heavy Mountaineers' pressure all through the doubles portion of the match and pulled out two of three victories to claim the doubles point.
The No. 1 doubles team of freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan set the standard with an 8-4 triumph against Gabriela Blaskovicova and Ashley Pilsbury for their club-best 17th win of the year.
The No. 2 junior pair of Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones ran into Monique Burton and Stephanie LaFortune, suffering an 8-4 setback in the second match.
Sophomore Simone Kalhorn and freshman Alessondra Parra salvaged the doubles point in a tightly-contests 9-7 victory against Veronica Cardenas and Olga Elkin at the No. 3 match.
Tan, Kalhorn and Spicer sealed Syracuse's first win of the BIG EAST Tournament by ousting their opponents in solo action. In the BIG EAST Tournament format, the team that reaches four points first claims the match.
Tan jumped all over Kathryn Haught at the No. 2 singles match with a 6-1, 6-2 victory to put WVU back on its heels.
With the Orange owning a 2-0 lead, Kalhorn rallied in the No. 3 solo slot with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Elkin to put SU one win away from victory.
At the No. 5 post, Spicer battled Pilsbury in a back-and-forth battle, but in the end, Spicer's stamina outlasted her opponent for the 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 triumph and clinched the first-round win for Syracuse.
Harman was penciled into the top spot against LaFortune, Parra clashed with Cardenas at the No. 4 singles match while Jones took on Burton at the No. 6 position, but with Spicer's victory, all three matches ceased due to SU's four points.
Kalhorn is the only player to have won all of her singles outings in the midst of Syracuse's eight-match winning streak. Kalhorn and Parra's four-match doubles winning streak stands as a team best.
DePAUL - 2nd SEED
The seventh-seeded Orange suffered a 4-0 setback to second-seeded DePaul in the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament on Friday morning. Syracuse had its eight-matching winning streak snapped and is relegated to the consolation bracket of the conference tournament.
Heading into Friday's match, DePaul was ranked No. 45 in the country by the ITA, marking Syracuse's second trial against a nationally ranked opponent this season (No. 52 Florida International - Mar. 12).
Freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan had its three-match winning streak snapped at the top doubles spot after enduring an 8-1 loss to Anna Redecsi and Selma Salkovic.
DePaul clinched the doubles point at the No. 3 post when sophomore Simone Kalhorn and freshman Alessondra Parra had its team-best four-match winning streak put to rest. Katarina Milinkovic and Gia McKnight handed the Orange pair an 8-2 loss to lock up the first point of the match.
Juniors Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones were tied up in a 5-5 stalemate with Dunja Antunovic and Kirsten Gambrell before play was adjourned at the No. 2 match.
In singles play, the Blue Demons tallied the match-winning fourth point after winning three solo contests.
Harman was outdone by Antunovic at the No. 1 match, 6-1, 6-1 while Tan lost to Redecsi, 6-3, 6-0, in the second singles bout. The deciding match came at the No. 6 spot when Jones suffered a 6-0, 6-1 setback to Milinkovic.
Kalhorn, Parra and Spicer all had their singles matches cut short once DePaul attained its fourth point.
MARQUETTE - 4th SEED
The Syracuse women's tennis had one of its most successful season's in program history ended when fourth-seeded Marquette beat the seventh-seeded Orange, 4-2, in the consolation bracket of the BIG EAST Tournament on Saturday morning. Syracuse finished in a tie for seventh place with ninth-seeded Pittsburgh following its 4-0 loss to third-seeded USF.
Syracuse closed out its 2009 BIG EAST campaign with a 10-4 record.
The Golden Eagles set the tone by claiming the doubles point before going on to win three more singles matches to clinch the fourth decisive point.
Rachael and Gillian Rush won the first doubles match, 8-3, against the No. 3 team of freshman Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn. Parra and Kalhorn finished up the season with a 12-8 doubles record.
The No. 1 doubles match proved to be the determining point as freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan suffered an 8-5 setback against Christina Ruiz and Robin Metzler. The No. 1 pair finished with a team-best doubles record of 17-6 this year.
The junior mix of Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones did not get a chance to finish their match, but ended up with a fine overall record of 15-6 at the No. 2 spot.
Kalhorn's singles season was capped with her ninth-straight solo victory to overtake the team's best mark. At the No. 3 match, Kalhorn had her way with Ruiz, 6-1, 6-0, to bring her final mark to 16-6.
Tan posted the Orange's second point of the match by virtue of a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Olga Fischer at the No. 2 post. Tan was one of two netters to have secured 15 singles wins this season. She finished with a 15-8 record and a team-best 11-3 mark in the BIG EAST.
Harman's phenomenal freshman year was ceased with a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Calderon at the top singles spot on Saturday morning. Harman played 20 matches at the No. 1 position (12-8), totaling a 14-8 mark on the season.
Rachael Hush ended the match with a 7-6 (6), 6-2 win against Parra at the No. 4 slot. Parra tallied an 11-8 singles record this season, winning seven out of 10 conference matches.
Spicer wrapped up her junior campaign with a 14-8 singles mark. The Round Rock, Texas native's final match of the season ended in a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Metzler at the No. 5 match.
Jones' match against Maggie Wilson at the No. 6 position was halted due to Marquette's fourth point, but the San Dimas, Calif. native posted a 15-6 record in singles action this season.
Syracuse's 16-7 mark (.696) represented the best winning percentage since the 1999-2000 team's record of 16-6 (.727). Head coach Luke Jensen is now 38-30 (.559) through three seasons at Syracuse.
GEORGETOWN - SETON HALL - ST. JOHN'S
ORANGE TAKES DOWN SEVENTH STRAIGHT CONFERENCE OPPONENT BEFORE THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
GEORGETOWN
Syracuse did not let arch-rival Georgetown stand in the way of a five-match winning streak as the Orange swept out the Hoyas, 7-0, at the McDonough Outdoor Tennis Complex. Syracuse claimed all six singles matches for the seventh time this season and won the doubles point for the 15th time in 18 tries to cement the sweep. Friday's win is SU's fifth sweep of the year.
Aside from Syracuse's sterling stretch, the storyline from Friday's match was the method in which junior Chelsea Jones notched her team-best sixth-consecutive win. Jones defeated Lacey Herchek, 6-4, 6-4, using her non-dominant hand, both serving and volleying with her left.
Despite SU's No. 1 pairing of freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan losing their second consecutive doubles match, 9-7, the Orange's No. 2 and 3 teams salvaged the point with 8-4 and 8-2 wins, respectively. Juniors Ashley Spicer and Jones, the No. 2 pair, exulted in their fifth straight win against Alex Sebia and Aileen Shea while the No. 3 blend of freshman Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn took care of Briana Kearney and Michelle Brown to seal the first point of the match.
Harman started the singles onslaught at the No. 1 match against Caroline Kuehn, 6-4, 6-1, while Tan's No. 2 victory against Maxi Thiels, 6-4, 6-3, put the Orange in the drivers' seat. Both victories marked the fifth consecutive singles wins for both netters.
No. 3 Kalhorn also won her fifth straight by going though Sebia, 7-5, 6-3, while Parra took the No. 4 match, 5-1, after Jacquie Harrison retired.
Spicer got back into her groove at the No. 5 match with a 6-3, 6-2 coup against Kearney for her fourth straight win.
SETON HALL
The Orange continues to gain momentum leading up to the BIG EAST Tournament (Apr. 16-19) after taking out Seton Hall, 5-2, for its sixth straight league triumph at the Westfield Indoor Tennis Club.
Syracuse set the tone early by sweeping all three doubles matches for the 10th time this year, marking the 16th doubles point in 19 tries.
After a slighting on Friday, the SU's No. 1 pairing of freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan rebounded on Saturday with an 8-1 victory against Elizabeth Verow and Courtney Kilarski. Harman and Tan have won seven of their last 10 tilts.
The No. 2 third-year twosome of Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer solidified the doubles point with their sixth consecutive win against Denise Liebschner and Michelle Weerasinghe, 8-3.
At the No. 3 game, freshman Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn capped the sweep with an 8-7 (4) nailbiter against Danielle Viloa and Belfin Sunbul.
The Orange came out victorious at the No. 1, 3, 4 and 5 matches to solidify its sixth successive BIG EAST victory.
Harman topped Liebschner, 6-2, 6-0, for her sixth consecutive win at the No. 1 singles spot, tied for best on the club.
Kalhorn made quick work of Sunbul at the No. 3, 6-3, 6-3, for her six straight, as well.
At the No. 4 slot, Parra won her 11th match of the year against Viola, 6-2, 6-2, while Spicer emerged victorious in her fifth uninterrupted victory at the No. 5 post, 6-2, 6-0.
Jones had her six-match winning streak snapped, 4-6, 6-1, 10-3, against Kilarski at the No. 6 position while Tan's five-game tear at the No. 2 was put to rest against Verow, 2-6, 6-4, 10-7.
Sophomore Jacquelynn Tang won another exhibition match on Saturday evening against Slavina Kaplanska, 8-5.
ST. JOHN'S
The Orange put the finishing touches on the best campaign in program history as Syracuse took out St. John's, 5-2, in the final match of the regular season. Syracuse's 15-5 mark eclipsed the 2005-06 season's start of 14-5. That team went onto finish with a 16-8 mark. In 1978-79, Syracuse assembled a 10-0 record, but this is SU's best finish since dual play took precedence in the BIG EAST.
Syracuse rattled off seven consecutive BIG EAST victories, including five on the road, the close out the regular season portion of the schedule. The Orange won its 17th doubles point of the year which proved to be a catalyst in SU's record-setting season.
Freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan held down the No. 1 doubles post for their team-best 16th win of the season in closely-contested fashion, 9-8 (3), against Jenny Yonkus and Joanna Zwirbulis.
Freshman Alessondra Parra sophomore Simone Kalhorn picked up teammates Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer at the No. 3 match with an 8-5 victory against Alyssa Liantonio and Gabija Gasiunaite to clinch the doubles point. Spicer and Jones were topped by Ira Aleksova and Nakita Austin at the No. 2 position, 8-6.
The Orange's top three singles players for a good chunk of the season in Harman (No. 1), Tan (No. 2) and Kalhorn (No. 3) each recorded victories for SU in solo action. Jones incurred the same decision at the No. 6 spot.
Harman took out Aleksova, 7-6 (2), 6-2, for her team-best tying seventh straight win in as many matches. The Petersburg, W.Va. native was one of two Orange to finish the year with 14 wins.
At the No. 2 match, Tan shut down Gasiunaite quickly, 6-1, 6-1, for her 13th win of the season while Kalhorn hit the 14-win plateau against Mikhaylova at the No. 3 match, 6-3, 6-4.
Despite trailing in the early goings, Jones rallied back for her team-best 15th triumph of the year in marathon fashion at the No. 6 slot against Yonkus, 1-6, 6-4, 10-7.
Parra and Spicer both suffered setbacks at the No. 4 and No. 5 posts, 6-1, 6-3, and 6-1, 2-6, 1-6, respectively, against Zwirbulis and Austin.
Sophomore Jacquelynn Tang earned another victory for SU in exhibition fashion against Liantonio, 8-3.
VILLANOVA - PITTSBURGH
SYRACUSE CEMENTS FOUR-GAME BIG EAST WINNING STREAK AFTER TOPPING WILDCATS AND PANTHERS
VILLANOVA
For the second time since the first two matches of the season, the Orange tennis team swept its second consecutive opponent, 7-0, on Saturday afternoon against Villanova.
The Orange doubles component was all over the Wildcats from the first serve as SU has claimed 14-of-16 doubles points this season.
At the No. 1 fixture, freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan toppled Jaclyn Williamson and Courtney Reed, 8-2, for their team-best 13th triumph of the season.
The No. 2 junior pairing of Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones recorded their 11th doubles win of the year after going through Carla Erskine and Daniella Phillis, 8-1. Sophomore Simone Kalhorn and first-year netter Alessondra Parra ousted their opponents, Allison Solberg and Kristin Gobberg, by the same total for the doubles sweep at the No. 3 point.
Syracuse's singles corps allowed only 12 points out of a possible 72, expelling its foes with dominating scores.
Harman notched her third straight singles victory at the No. 1 spot with a 6-0, 6-2 count against Erskine.
Tan represented SU's No. 2 spot with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph against Williamson while Kalhorn combated her opponent in a 6-1, 6-0 win at the No. 3 contest.
Parra, after returning from a minor injury, got back into the swing of things with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Lyndsey Lostritto at the No. 4 while Spicer hammered Gobberg, 6-1, 6-2, at the No. 5 match.
Jones extended her team-best fourth consecutive singles win at the No. 6 post with a 6-1, 6-0 take against Emily Urda.
Sophomore Jacquleynn Tang handled Elizabeth Spelman, 8-2, in the lone exhibition match of the afternoon.
PITTSBURGH
The Orange willed its road record above the .500 mark after ending Pittsburgh's five-game undefeated streak in the BIG EAST on Sunday afternoon at The Club. Despite losing the doubles point for just the third time this season, Syracuse swept all six singles matches for the sixth time this year.
The junior pairing of Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones secured their fourth consecutive win at the No. 2 doubles post with an 8-1 victory against Adela Aprodu and Minh Evans and is now 13-4 on the season.
The No. 1 blend of freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan had its six-match winning streak put to rest after losing to Kristy Borza and Elizabeth Adams, 8-6. Freshman Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn were handed their sixth setback of the season, 8-2, against Christie D'Achille and Shannon Benic.
Syracuse responded immediately as Harman went the distance with Borza, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, for the first Orange point of the day at the No. 1 match.
Tan notched her fourth consecutive victory playing as No. 2 with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Adams. Kalhorn stamped out Pitt's No. 3 Evans with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph while Parra locked down her ninth win of the year, 7-6 (2), 6-2 at the No. 4 slot.
Spicer got by Aprodu, 7-5, 6-2 for her 11th solo win of the year while Jones extended her team-leading unblemished streak to five with a 6-2, 6-1 win against Benic at the No. 6 match.
Sophomore Jacquelynn Tang followed in her teammate's footsteps as she challenged Melissa Bostwick to an 8-1 victory in the exhibition affair.
CONNECTICUT - PROVIDENCE
ORANGE BACK ON TRACK AFTER CRUSHING UCONN AND PROVIDENCE
CONNECTICUT
Amidst all the March Madness in Central New York, the Orange tennis team picked apart familiar BIG EAST rival Connecticut, 6-1, in front of a spirited crowd to snap a four-game skid on Friday afternoon at the Drumlins Tennis Center.
From the opening serve, the Syracuse doubles component manhandled the Huskies in all three matches en route to an Orange rout.
Freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan rolled on to their fourth consecutive doubles victory at the No. 1 position against Kelley LoRusso and Emily Herb, 8-1, to set the tempo for the remainder of the day. The freshman-sophomore blend owns a team-best 12-2 doubles record.
The junior union of Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer rebounded from last week's loss with an 8-4 win against BreAnn Cheung and Allison Campitiello for their 10th victory at the No. 2 post this season.
Sophomore Jacquelynn Tang filled in for a sidelined Alessondra Parra with classmate Simone Kalhorn to cut down Katie Moritz and Alexa Gregory in the No. 3doubles match, 8-2. Tang has not competed since her and Kalhorn won against Niagara on Jan. 24. Tang's seamless transition after a lengthy hiatus improved her doubles mark to 3-0.
Tang also made her singles debut this season at the No. 6 match and came away with her first solo success of the season, 6-1, 7-5, against Gregory.
Harman solidified her stance as the No. 1 singles player with a declarative win against LoRusso, 8-1, boosting her record to 8-6 on the season.
Tan nearly blanked Campitiello at the No. 2 singles spot, 6-0, 6-1while Kalhorn took charge at the No. 3 singles match against Cheung, 6-2, 6-1.
Jones notched her club-best 10th singles win at the No. 5 post with a 6-0, 6-3 triumph against Moritz.
Spicer dominated the first set in the No. 5 match, 6-1, but Herb responded with two sets of her own, 6-4, 11-9, for UConn's lone point of the match.
Freshman Victoria Ford outlasted Emily Searle in a tiebreaker affair during the solo exhibition match of the day, 9-8 (4).
PROVIDENCE
The Orange handled Providence with a swift 7-0 sweep in Syracuse's home finale at Drumlins Tennis Center on Sunday morning. SU earned its fourth victory in six tries during BIG EAST action this season.
Under the guidance of head coach Luke Jensen, Syracuse has found solace at home by assembling a 20-5 overall record in three years at Drumlins, losing only two in as many years.
Syracuse pummeled Providence from the initial serve, spotting the Friars only six games, total, out of a possible 60. Five of six Orange allowed only one point in singles action while Tang swept Liz Gillis, 6-0, 6-0, at the No. 6 position.
Two of three doubles matches ended in an Orange sweep while Parra and Kalhorn cleaned out Courtney Fuller and Melanie Albert, 8-1, at the No. 3 match.
Harman and Tan pushed Meghan Gilroy and Ayushi Sinha aside, 8-0, at the No. 1 post to set the tempo for SU in the early-goings. Spicer and Jones handled Jen Cusack and Amy McDevitt with ease, 8-0, in the second doubles match.
Harman broke the .500 mark while playing at the No. 1 position with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph against Sinha, moving her No. 1 record to 7-6 and overall mark to 9-6.
Tan took out Gilroy in the No. 2 singles match by the same count as her doubles partner to improve her overall solo record to 9-6.
Kalhorn staffed the No. 3 position for the seventh time this season, earning her third win in that role, 6-0, 6-1, against Albert.
Spicer snapped a five-match singles slide with a domination 6-1, 6-0 coup against Cusack at the No. 4 match while Jones recorded her team-best 11th victory, 6-0, 6-1 to close out the No. 5 battle.
The remaining Orange won its three exhibition matches, as well. Ford took care of business, 8-5, against Amy McDevitt, first-year racqueteer Allison Haynes expelled Courtney Fuller, 8-4, and sophomore Katlyn Haycock swept Katie-Sue Scullin, 8-0.
No. 52 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL – SOUTH FLORIDA
TAN AND HARMAN DOUBLE UP FOR A PAIR OF VICTORIES DURING SPRING BREAK TRIP
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
The Orange was swept, 7-0, in its first match of the team's spring break trip against # 52 Florida International on Thursday afternoon. Syracuse's southern test marked the squad's first match against a nationally ranked opponent this season.
The No. 1 doubles pairing of freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan claimed Syracuse's lone victory of the day, 6-4, 7-5 against Mariana Muci and Maria Pazo, 8-4.
The Golden Panthers clinched the doubles point after Maria Vallasciani and Liset Brito ousted the No. 2 team of juniors Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer, 8-5, while Maria Spenceley and Priscilla Castillo beat out sophomore Simone Kalhorn and freshman Alessondra Parra, 8-3, in the No. 3 doubles contest.
FIU cleaned up in the singles portion of the match by winning all six affairs.
Tan came the closest to an Orange singles victory at the No. 2 spot against Spenceley. Tan edged out Spenceley, 4-6, in the first set, but the Golden Panther came roaring back with a 6-0 win in set two and a 7-6 (5-0) tiebreaker triumph for the victory.
Brito and Harman faced off in the top spot, but Brito claimed the point with a 6-4, 7-5 count.
Muci and Pazo avenged their doubles loss by beating Kalhorn, 6-3, 6-3, and Parra, 6-3, 7-5, in the No. 3 and 4 matches, respectively.
Spicer suffered a 6-1, 6-0 setback against Castillo at the No. 5 post while Jones had her hands full with Maria Vallasciani, 6-2, 6-1, in the No. 6 match.
SOUTH FLORIDA
Despite coming away with a doubles and singles victory against the Bulls, the Orange was handed its second BIG EAST loss, 6-1, at South Florida on Sunday morning at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.
The No. 1 paring of freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan gave Syracuse some promise in the early goings with a marathon tiebreaker victory, 9-8 (2), against Irene Rehberger and Ashley Schumaker. Harman and Tan have compiled a team-best 11-2 record at the No. 1 slot.
Unfortunately, USF’s No. 2 and 3 teams negated the Orange’s early momentum in the remaining two doubles matches. Jessica Zok and Allyn Mueller edged out SU’s junior duo of Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones, 8-3, at the No. 2 post while Natalia Guevara and Iciri Rai clinched the first point of the match, 8-2, against sophomore Simone Kalhorn and freshman Alessondra Parra.
Jones notched her club-best ninth singles victory against Ashley Schumaker in the No. 6 match, 3-6, 6-4, 10-8, for SU’s only point on Sunday.
Harman had her hands full at the No. 1 slot, suffering a 6-1, 6-3 setback against Rehberger.
USF’s Rai claimed the No. 2 match with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph against Tan while Kalhorn lost her match at the No. 3 post, 6-2, 6-4, to Guevara.
Parra stretched out her match against Zok to three sets, but eventually lost at the No. 4 slot, 6-3, 1-6, 10-3.
Spicer was dealt a 6-0, 6-1 loss at the No. 5 match against Mueller.
CORNELL - RUTGERS – ARMY
DOUBLES DOWNS CORNELL, BUT ORANGE LOSES STRAIGHT MATCHES AGAINST RUTGERS AND ARMY
ARMY
The Orange lost its third match of the season, 5-2, at Army. The match was scheduled to be played in Syracuse, but was moved to the Lichtenberg Tennis Center due to a severe winter storm that struck the east coast on Sunday night. Syracuse played at Rutgers Sunday afternoon and stayed in the New Jersey / New York area overnight because of the inclement weather.
In the setback, sophomore Christina Tan and rookie Emily Harman earned their ninth doubles triumph of the season at the No. 1 post against Niki Flach and Michael Tollerton, 9-7, while the pairing of freshman Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn downed Sarah Giles-Madden and Caitlin Finnegan by the same score in the No. 3 match.
The third-year combination of Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones lost to Anne Houghton and Kristin, 9-8 (7-5).
Kalhorn earned her first victory in the No. 3 singles spot and her seventh overall victory, with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Giles-Madden in the Orange’s lone singles win.
Harman topped Houghton in the first set in the top spot, 4-6, but could not capitalize with the set advantage and lost the remaining two, 6-3, 7-5.
In the No. 2 spot, Tan and Flach traded 6-0 sets with Flach’s coming first in succession. The two netters duked it out to another tiebreaker, but in the end, Flach outlasted Tan, 7-6 (2), in the final set.
Parra was ousted in straight sets against Beehler in the No. 4 match, 6-2, 7-5, while Spicer had her hands full with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat to Tollerton in the No. 5 position. Jones combated Finnegan in the No. 6 spot, losing, 6-4, 6-2.
RUTGERS
Following a four-game homestand outside of the BIG EAST, Syracuse lost its first BIG EAST match, 5-2, at Rutgers on March 1.
Sophomore Christina Tan and freshman Alessondra Parra kept their BIG EAST singles records clean with victories at the No. 2 and No. 4 posts, respectively, but the doubles element of the match did not go the Orange's way for only the second time this season.
The third-year union of Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer emerged victoriously by toppling Katherine Arlak and Christine Tran, 8-2, in the second doubles match.
Tan smothered Arlak with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph at the No. 2 while Parra paraded against Jennifer Holzberg, 6-4, 6-1, at the No. 4 match.
Freshman Emily Harman lost her first BIG EAST match of the season, third overall, to Amy Zhang while trying to hold down the No. 1 spot in a tiebreaking nail biter, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (5-0).
Sophomore Simone Kalhorn tried her hand against Polina Zaretser at the No. 3 slot for just the second time this season playing in that role. Kalhorn, who lost her doubles match to Morgan Ivey and Holzberg, 8-4, with partner Parra at the No. 3 game, was topped by Zaretser, 6-2, 6-3.
In the No. 5 match, Spicer was bested for only the second time this season by Maryana Milchutskey, 6-3, 6-4, while Jones lost 6-2, 6-2, to Ivey in the No. 6 match.
CORNELL
Junior Chelsea Jones clinched the Orange's eighth victory of the season, 4-3 in the second to last singles match, but a much of the credit can be given to the Syracuse doubles pairings who set the tone early and swept Cornell in all three matches, earning SU's eighth doubles point in nine tries on Feb. 27 at Drumlins Tennis Center.
The No. 1 team of freshman Emily Harman and Christina Tan defeated Natalia Sanchez and Stephanie Kent, 8-4 while the junior pairing of Ashley Spicer and Jones chalked up their eighth win together at the No. 2 post by overthrowing Elizabeth Googe and Shayna Miller, 8-5.
The No. 3 team of freshman Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn finished off the Orange smothering in doubles by ousting Catherine Duboc and Ruxandra Dumitrescu by a count of 8-4.
Harman rebounded from her loss against Iowa State last Sunday with her seventh solo victory of the season by upholding the No. 1 singles position with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Sanchez.
Spicer manned the No. 5 singles role with her eighth singles triumph this season by taking care of Seyburn with ease in a 6-2, 6-0 affair.
Jones staffed the No. 6 slot and took care of business against Duboc in a convincing 6-1, 6-3 final score.
Syracuse's No. 2-4 players were dealt tightly contested losses to the Big Red singles constituents. Tan suffered a 6-4, 6-2 blow by Kent at the No. 2 game while Parra took Miller to the end but could not capitalize and took the loss, 6-4, 7-5, for her first showing at the No. 4 position this season. Kalhorn made her singles debut at No. 3 this season and was the last woman standing as she took Googe the distance in the loss, 7-5, 4-6, 10-5, but SU had already clinched the match at that point with Jones' conquest.
MASSACHUSETTS - IOWA STATE
SYRACUSE MAULS UMASS BUT HANDED FIRST DEFEAT AGAISNT IOWA STATE
Syracuse dismantled Massachusetts, 6-1, on Feb. 20 but lost its first match of the season to Iowa State, 4-3, on Feb. 22 at the Drumlins Tennis Center.
Junior Ashley Spicer grinded out her seventh straight singles victory against UMass' Tanisha Hodgson, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 5 position on the court but lost her first match to Lisa Wischer in the deciding match, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Freshman Emily Harman defeated Mintuewoman Candynce Boney 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 1 singles spot to bounce back after her first solo setback against Buffalo last week. She went on to suffer her second defeat of the season in the premiere match to ISU's Erin Karonis, 6-4, 6-2.
Harman also joined forces with sophomore, Christina Tan, at the No. 1 doubles position. The two outlasted Candynce Boney and Maude Lecluyse 8-4 for their sixth triumph at the No. 1 doubles post this season. In their second doubles match of the weekend, the two took Tessa Lang and Karonis the distance, coming back to win match 9-8 (6) in tiebreaker fashion for their seventh win at the top spot this year.
Tan was victorious with a 6-1, 6-1 thrashing against Massachusetts' Magdalena Ploch in the No. 2 slot.
Junior Chelsea Jones and Spicer logged a convincing win against Laura Danai and Hodgson, 8-1, to move to 6-1 in doubles action this season. The junior pairing vaulted back against ISU's Maria Fernanda Macedo and Marie Christne-Chartier after facing a three-game deficit to win the No. 2 game, 8-6, for their seventh doubles victory of the season.
Jones won the No. 6 match, 7-4, 7-5 against UMass' Laura Danai and followed that up in her second match by blanking Alyssa Palen, 6-3, 6-2, to improve her singles record to 7-1.
The tandem of freshman Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn chalked up a close 7-6 (5) victory against Kaitlyn Carpenter and Ploch at the No. 2 match. The two repeated their winning ways by ousting Reka Keleman and Wischer in an 8-6 episode. The No. 3 pairing is now 5-1 in doubles play this season.
Kalhorn went onto claim her sixth solo win of the season against Massachusetts' Lecluyse, 6-4, 6-2, at the No. 4 slot while Parra was dealt her first loss of the season to Carpenter, 4-6, 6-2 (10-7).
Against Iowa State, Parra was outlasted by Macedo, 6-2, 6-4, in the No. 3 match while Kalhorn hung tough with Chartier at the No. 4 spot, suffering a 7-6 (4), 6-0 loss.
BUFFALO
ORANGE FENDS OFF BULL RUSH FOR BEST START SINCE 1978-79
The Syracuse women's tennis squad prolonged its historic beginning to the season with an emotional 5-2 victory against Buffalo on Feb. 13. With the triumph, the Orange is now 6-0 for the first time in dual play history since the 1978-79 team finished the year 10-0.
Syracuse claimed two of the three doubles matches for the first point of the day while the No. 3 through 6 players subdued their opponents for victory.
Sophomore Christina Tan and freshman Emily Harman welcomed Diana Popescu and Denise Harijanto to the court at the No. 1 doubles position and lost 8-4. It was the tandem's first defeat in six matches at No. 1 this season.
Junior Chelsea Jones and Spicer continued their dominance with an 8-3 triumph against Aleksandra Petrova and Diana Toia at the No. 2 slot.
Sophomore Simone Kalhorn and Parra joined forces for their third doubles win of the season at the No. 3 position with an 8-3 victory against Anna Subenkova and Smaranda Stan.
In solo action, Harman endured her first singles defeat of the season in a tightly-contested final of 6-7 (4), 6-2, 12-10 to Harijanto.
Tan failed to notch her fifth singles victory of the year after losing to Diana Popescu, 6-1, 6-2, in No. 2 solo play.
Parra remained one of two Orange to have kept her solo record untarnished after she trounced Smaranda Stan, 6-2, 6-2, for her six win at the No. 3 slot. Spicer finished her match quickly with a 6-0, 6-3 win against Diana Toia at the No. post of 4 solo play to remain spotless though SU's first six singles matches.
At the No. 5 spot, Kalhorn overpowered Aleksandra Petrova with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win to extend her season total to five wins.
In a back-and-forth drag down fight, Jones refused to go away at the No. 6 position as the rest of her teammates cheered her on to a 4-6, 7-6 (6), 10-3 victory against Anna Subenkova.
WEST VIRGINIA
SYRACUSE CLICKING ON ALL CYLINDERS AFTER WINNING SECOND STRAIGHT BIG EAST MATCH
Despite losing the doubles point for the first time this season, the Orange crushed West Virginia in singles play, sweeping all six points at the Ridgeview Racquet Club on Feb. 7 for a 6-1 victory to preserve its undefeated record.
The duet of freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan remained Syracuse's untarnished couple as the two took out Gabriela Blaskovicova and Ashley Pilsbury by an 8-2 final.
The Orange suffered two setbacks at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Juniors Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones get nipped 9-7 by Stephanie LaFortune and Monique Burton at the No. 2 ranking while freshman Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn were slighted by Olga Elkin and Veronica Cardenas, 8-5, in the No. 3 seed.
Syracuse rallied around individual action as Tan won her second straight match at the No. 1 singles spot with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph against LaFortune.
Harman served up a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the No. 2 spot against Elkin while Parra continued to govern her side of the clay with a 6-2, 6-2 win at the No. 3 position against WVU's Burton.
Spicer knocked off Pilsbury at the No. 4 match by a final count of 6-2, 7-5 to keep her undefeated clip intact.
Kalhorn took out Milica Pantovic in convincing fashion with a 7-5, 6-3 coup at the No. 5 game.
Jones went the distance in the No. 6 match against Cardenas, dropping the first game 5-7, but recuperated in the next two games, 6-2, 11-9.
CINCINNATI
ORANGE PASSES FIRST BIG EAST TEST
Syracuse stayed red-hot on Friday afternoon, sustaining its early momentum heading into BIG EAST action with a 5-2 victory against Cincinnati at the Western Tennis and Fitness Club on Feb. 6.
In the Orange's conference opener, the SU swept all three doubles matches to claim the first point. The No. 1 pairing of sophomore Christina Tan and freshman Emily Harman dominated Ksenia Slynko and Valeriya Dandik with an 8-4 victory. Juniors Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones took advantage of Jennifer Rowen and Elizabeth Young at the No. 2 slot with another 8-4 win while first-year netter Alessondra Parra and sophomore Simone Kalhorn joined forces at the No. 3 slot for a nail-biting 8-7 (5) victory against Jessica Wise and Safiyya Ismail.
In solo action, Tan earned her 2009 debut at the No. 1 singles position and heeded the call of duty, grinding out a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 come-from-behind victory against Slynko.
Harman kept her untarnished solo record of 4-0 intact in her first appearance at the No. 2 singles slot with a 7-5, 6-1 triumph against Rowen.
Parra mimicked her classmate at the No. 3 slot with another 3-5, 6-3, 6-3 comeback win against Dandik. Parra is also 4-0 in solo action this season. Parra's victory at No. 3 clinched the fourth point for the victory.
Spicer climbed up the ladder to the No. 4 rank on Friday and held true to form with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Ismail while Kalhorn was dealt her first singles loss of the season at the No. 5 spot by a final count of 6-4, 7-5 to Wise. Jones suffered a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) loss at the No. 6 position to Young.
BINGHAMTON
NOTHING STANDING IN SYRACUSE'S WAY IN THE EARLY GOINGS
Syracuse showed Binghamton the door, 6-1, on Jan. 25 at the Drumlins Tennis Center to close out a flawless three-game opening weekend to start off the 2009 season.
Syracuse initiated Sunday's contest by sweeping all three doubles. The No. 1 pairing of freshman phenom Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan earned the first victory for the Orange against Jillian Santos and Yulia Smirnova by a final tally of 8-6.
The veteran-lined team of juniors Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer maintained the momentum of their first two matches with a dominating 8-1 performance against Marina Bykovaskaye and Yagmur Gone at the No. 2 doubles slot. Sophomore Simone Kalhorn and freshman Alessondra Parra represented the No. 3 spot with an 8-5 victory against Lauren Bates and Danyelle Shapiro to solidify the doubles point.
Harman defended the No. 1 position in closely-contested match with a victory against Bates, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Tan suffered a close setback to Santos at the No. 2 singles match by a final count of 7-6 (3), 6-1.
Parra kept her record untarnished at the No. 3 slot with a controlling 6-2, 6-3 triumph against Smirnova. Parra's partner, Kalhorn, took out Bykovaskaye by a final clip of 6-3, 7-5 at the No. 4 position.
Doubles partners Jones and Spicer took care of business at the fifth and sixth spots, respectively, with a 6-3, 6-1 and 6-1, 7-5 wins against Gone and Shapiro to close out the opening weekend.
NIAGARA
SYRACUSE SENDS NIAGARA PACKING WITH SECOND SWEEP IN A ROW
On Jan. 24, Syracuse hosted its first home match of the season as Niagara University made the easterly trip to Drumlins Tennis Center.
Freshman Emily Harman stayed strong at the No. 1 spot with a 6-2, 6-1 solo victory against Hilary Hansen to get the ball rolling for an onslaught of Orange victories.
Sophomore Christina Tan handed Raquel Solis a 6-0, 6-1 singles defeat at the No. 2 while newcomer Alessondra Parra kept her composure against fourth-year player Vania Lakic with 6-1, 6-0 win at the No. 3 spot. Sophomore Simone Kalhorn represented another Orange victory at the No. 4 spot with a 6-2, 6-0 victory coming against Alyssa Lucas.
Syracuse's two juniors, Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer, drummed their two foes in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots, respectively, without allowing a single point. Jones took it to junior Emma Cunnington, 6-0, 6-0, while Spicer mirrored Jones with a 6-0, 6-0 win against senior Victoria Tiso.
Starting off at the No. 1 spot for the second straight day was the team of Harman and Tan. The freshman-sophomore duet K.O.'d Hansen and Lucas, 8-0. Jones and Spicer banded together to keep their Saturday flawless as the two juniors swept Solis and Cunnington, 8-0. Kalhorn and Tang solidified SU's third match for the doubles point with an 8-5 triumph against Lakic and Walters.
COLGATE
ORANGE CRUSHES COLGATE IN SEASON OPENER
The 2009 women's tennis campaign got off on the right foot as the Orange throttled Colgate in the first match of the season with a 7-0 victory on Jan. 23.
Syracuse set the tone early as the team of rookie Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan handed the pairing of Elise DeRose and Alexandra Erickson an 8-2 victory in the No. 1 doubles match. Juniors Ashley Spicer and Chelsea Jones teamed together at the No. 2 doubles spot to take down Cameron Thaney and Erin Fenn by the same score as the previous contest, 8-2. Newcomer Alessondra Parra and second-year netter Jacquelynn Tang were taken to the wire at the No. 3 doubles position by Cameron Williams and Stephanie Brown, but they outlasted their foes in tie-breaker fashion, 8-7 (7-3), to put the seal on the doubles point for Syracuse.
In her Orange debut in solo action, Harman vanquished DeRose at the No. 1 spot in two sets 6-1, 6-2 to initiate the Orange blanket of solo victories.
At the No. 2 slot, Tan took out Erickson in two sets, 6-3, 6-3. Parra, SU's second student-athletes to make her debut on Friday, flattened Fenn 6-3, 6-2, at the No. 3 singles spot.
Kalhorn snagged an early 2-0 lead against Williams in the No. 4 match, but Williams withdrew, handing Kalhorn her first singles victory of the year. Jones outmuscled Stimmel at the No. 5 position, 6-1, 6-2. Spicer capped a perfect 7-0 outing for the Orange at the No. 6 spot with an 8-0 victory against Brown.
