Tennis : Syracuse loses home-court advantage, heads outside for 1st time this spring
Photo/Mark Nash
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Heavy green curtains keep players locked onto the fast PlexiPave courts. Visiting opponents’ shots are altered or altogether ruined by the barrier. Rackets are thrown, curses are muttered and matches are won, usually by Syracuse.
Drumlins Tennis Club is an unusual place on match days. Fans shout, their children scream and more often than not, Monster, the hyper-friendly team dog, can be found bounding about in the club lobby.
And then there’s the court. Syracuse’s pressing, in-your-face squad enjoys a distinct home-court advantage because of those curtains.
But SU’s home schedule is complete. The team will venture outside for the first time since a Jan. 14 loss at South Florida as it closes out its regular season with away matches at Georgetown and Seton Hall. Syracuse has two weeks off until its April 13 match with the Hoyas, so the Orange has time to adjust its play.
‘Everything kind of slows things down. The court is even bigger, so we’ve got to play more of a balanced attack,’ head coach Luke Jensen said. ‘We still want to play to our identity, but we have to be more balanced, more patient.’
Before losing to then-No. 59 William & Mary, No. 52 SU (12-4, 5-1 Big East) was undefeated in 25 straight home matches. Jensen considers his team an indoor team. And though most of his team grew up playing outside, the change is significant as the Orange looks to keep control of its postseason fate in the last two matches of the regular season.
The more open, weather-affected play of outdoor tennis favors the traditional baseliners that dominate the college game while punishing the inconsistencies that have disrupted SU’s ground strokes at times this season. Five to six extra shots are required in outdoor play, Jensen said, a test of patience for a team that is often seen sprinting toward the net to close out points.
Yet with the Syracuse weather being harsh on sore muscles and sick players, the adjustment phase is a balancing act.
‘Our No. 1 thing right now is to make sure that no one pulls a muscle, no one gets sick. We’ve got a lot of time before Georgetown and a lot of time before Seton Hall,’ Jensen said.
Aleah Marrow is still recovering from the illness that kept her out of Sunday’s singles matches, and Breanna Bachini sat out practice with a muscle strain. Though it was sunny with clear skies Tuesday afternoon, Jensen kept his young team inside.
Most players require ice after matches at this point in the season. But Jimena Wu and Bachini were iced down before Friday’s match. This is typical of a younger team, Jensen said.
‘They should be taped up all the time, those freshmen are crazy,’ Jensen said. ‘… They’ve never played this much in their life, never competed this much. They’ve played tournaments before, but the emotional ride, the physical toll from the practices and everything is starting to wear down.’
The break-in match play gives his staff a chance to monitor his players before a must-win road trip and crucial Big East tournament, both to be played outside.
SU’s next opponent lacks such a luxury. Georgetown is scheduled to play seven matches in 14 days before hosting the Orange.
Though the Hoyas, Seton Hall and Big East tournament host and co-favorite South Florida have the advantage of playing outside more regularly, SU’s superior athleticism promises to help in the prematch adjustments.
Amanda Rodgers and Jimena Wu are exceptions to the rule of the Orange preferring an indoor arena. Wu registered her first singles win against Boston University on Sunday while Rodgers is closing in on the team’s record for singles wins in a season.
‘I was always taught to just kind of rally the ball, and if you get your shot, then go for it,’ Rodgers said.
The adjustment also is not nearly as daunting to Wu, who grew up playing on slower outdoor clay courts. For her, the adjustment from outdoor to indoor courts is harder than going from indoor to outdoor, she said.
Yet as the rest of the Orange ventures outside the friendly confines of Drumlins, there will be no green curtain backing them up. Instead, SU will be doing the adjusting.
‘You’ve got to be more patient in your rallies, in your approach, and to be honest, it’s just getting outside and getting used to reading the conditions,’ Jensen said. ‘Where’s the sun, where’s the wind coming from? Those little types of nuances that we’ve always had to adjust for.’