Syracuse blows out Albany 7-0 to start season 5-1

Amanda Rodgers took five dribbles — as she always does before her first serve — and tossed the ball skyward.

Her left arm arched high to leverage the ball downward and Rodgers’ racquet exploded through the ball. Ace. Match winner.

Her serve seemed to leave her opponent hand-cuffed or off balance each time. If the ball was returned, Rodgers dished out a bevy of forehand and backhand winners. The senior handedly defeated Albany’s Dajana Ognjenovic 6-4, 6-4.

The Orange (5-1) dominated, 7-0, resoundingly handing Albany (2-1) its first loss on the season. It was Syracuse’s first shutout performance in two years, and it’s the best start to a tennis season in program history.

“I felt shaky in doubles and singles. It was an off day,” said Rodgers, who is a staff writer for The Daily Orange. “But I served well and that pulled me through the match. I found a way to win. It felt good.”

The match began in promising fashion for the Orange as it captured the doubles point for a second consecutive match, after dropping three of the first four matches in its season.

Sophomore Rhiann Newborn and senior Breanna Bachini defeated Ognjenovic and Cheryl Kukkonen 6-1. The clincher came from senior Komal Safdar and sophomore Valeria Salazar as they beat Kirsten Scott and Chassidy King, 6-3. Rodgers and freshman Nicole Mitchell’s match was allowed to play out, though it didn’t factor into the final score. After rallying from 4-1 down to tie, the SU pair dropped the match 6-4.

“I thought, actually, Albany was a lot better, but we never let them in the match,” SU head coach Younes Limam said. “I thought we had a really good start in doubles and in the singles.”

Limam also continued with his experimentation in doubles pairings, swapping Mitchell and Newborn. This is Mitchell’s third different doubles partner in as many matches. Limam left Safdar and Salazar together. They are the 59th-ranked doubles pairing nationally.

Syracuse found equaled success in the singles portion, each of its six individuals defeating their opponents.

Mitchell garnered the first singles point for the Orange, getting back on the win column for the first time in four matches with a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Albany’s King.

Rodgers’ win put the Orange on the cusp of victory, up 3-0 in a race to four points.

Safdar obliged, securing the match for Syracuse with a 6-1, 6-3 defeat of Mireille Hermans.

“We took it to them on every single court,” Safdar said. “We felt comfortable with who we were playing and that gave us confidence and momentum.”

Salazar added to the Orange’s lead with a 6-4, 6-3 edging of Ana Glumac.

Newborn’s fiery, vocal play elicited raised eyebrows and whisperings from the Albany grandstands all match long, but they were silent as she rocketed a forehand winner past Alba Sala to capture the second set and the match, 6-3, 6-4.

She followed the shot with a thigh slap and scream of, “Come on!”

Bachini finished the Orange’s run with a come-from-behind victory. A tiebreak in the first set 7-6 (7-2) and a sound win in the second set 6-3 gave Syracuse the shutout.

“We got on them sooner in the match,” Limam said. “We just took care of business.”