Last year, an early exit in the Big East tournament ended what had previously been perceived as a productive season for the Syracuse tennis team. After what was a solid showing in the Big East, Luke Jensen’s squad was unable to carry that success into the postseason.

And this season, SU’s focus has changed as a result. With each win, it’s easy to believe that this is the season SU will turn its regular-season supremacy into postseason success.

‘The Big East is a very good tennis conference, and we’ve been very fortunate to play well in the last couple of years,’ Jensen said. ‘Just like every other sport here at Syracuse, we want to own our conference.’

For Jensen, that starts with one game at a time.

Syracuse dominated conference foe Pittsburgh Sunday, sweeping the Panthers 7-0. The Orange (9-2, 3-0 Big East), who have won three straight, took all three doubles matches and failed to lose one match in singles play. With the win over Pitt (3-2, 1-2), SU has won 11 of its last 13 matches again its conference opponents.

SU’s doubles groups set the early pace, as the third-seeded pairing of sophomore Alessondra Parra and junior Eleanor Peters won their match, 8-1. The second-seeded pairing of freshman CC Sardinha and junior Simone Kalhorn clinched the doubles point with their 8-2 victory. They credited the win to their extensive preparation and intense playing styles.

‘We’ve been putting in a lot of practice hours, and we were confident coming in,’ Kalhorn said. ‘We both play really aggressive, and we’re always diving for balls.’

Even though Sardinha and Kalhorn’s win rendered the third doubles match irrelevant to the final score, Jensen said it was this match that provided the catalyst for the eventual Syracuse sweep. The first-seeded pairing of sophomore Emily Harman and senior Chelsea Jones trailed 6-3, but began a furious comeback and won, 8-7, in a tiebreaker.

‘I thought that they really showed a lot of energy, and they kept on building more momentum as the match went along,’ Jensen said. ‘All of a sudden when they hit that tiebreaker, they found their stride. You could feel the energy build with us, and we took that and smothered Pittsburgh. It was a lot of demolition derby for us.’

The Orange rode that momentum through the singles matches, none of which were closely contested. Every Syracuse player won convincingly, from top-seeded Sardinha (6-0, 6-3) through sixth-seeded Christina Tan (6-1, 6-2). Fifth-seeded Kalhorn was the final player to win her match (6-3, 6-2) to complete the sweep.

Syracuse displayed its depth throughout the rout, which Jensen said is something that can be very valuable as the team approaches the end of the season. However, the top-to-bottom strength also creates some lineup problems, as Jensen has struggled to find a consistent spot for every player.

Although the Orange’s dominance over Pittsburgh may have indicated that the right combinations were playing, Jensen said he does not want to move too quickly to stabilize his lineup.

‘I’m happy because we’re successful (with these pairings), but I know we can do better with our execution,’ Jensen said. ‘We have eight players that can play No. 1 and win for us, but the goal is that at the end of the season when we go to the Big East championship, we have the best players in the right spots.’

Despite the big conference win, the Orange has tougher tests later in the season that it has already started to prepare for. All four of its remaining Big East games are on the road, and Sardinha said the team still has work to do in order to be ready for the difficult stretch.

‘We’ve been practicing a lot, getting stronger both mentally and physically,’ Sardinha said. ‘We’re going to keep pushing forward.’

Jensen also acknowledged that there is still work to be done. Though Syracuse is riding a short win streak and has not lost at home this year, he said there is still something to be gained before the Big East tournament.

‘We’re still a month and a half away from that tournament, and the biggest thing is that we make small strides.’ Jensen said. ‘If you try to do too much, some little things can get overlooked. I don’t want to miss a step.’

jakrakow@syr.edu