SU rolls over Black Knights, remains perfect at Drumlins

Drumlins Tennis Center is not the Carrier Dome. Luke Jensen knows that. But if this season is any indication, the head coach of the Syracuse tennis team may have the biggest home-court advantage on campus.

The Orange battled to a 6-1 victory over Army on Wednesday in front of 47 at Drumlins, advancing its overall record to 16-2 and its home record to a perfect 8-0. SU has not lost a home game since Feb. 22, 2009, against Iowa State.

‘We just don’t lose here,’ Jensen said. ‘This is our place, it gets loud and it’s hard to play here if you’re the opposition. Orange fans are so fired up about this team.’

The win ties Syracuse for the most victories it has had under the fourth-year coach Jensen with only three regular-season matches remaining before the Big East tournament.

The fans had a lot to be excited about right away against Army, as the Orange opened the day with three doubles wins to lock up the first point of the match. All three were decided by an 8-5 score, and the second-seeded pair of Alessondra Parra and Eleanor Peters earned its seventh straight doubles win.

Despite the fact that the game was at noon during the school week, the Orange got a comparatively surprising large supportive crowd, and the players fed off that energy.

‘It was a great amount of people that came out today,’ said freshman CC Sardinha, SU’s top-seeded singles player. ‘The atmosphere and people cheering for us was amazing, and it’s always great when people come out.’
    
Sardinha and Peters set the tone for the Orange during singles play. Peters, a senior transfer from Maryland, sat out the previous two matches after tweaking her surgically repaired left ankle.
    
She started slow and dropped the first game but rallied and took complete control of the match. Putting on a dazzling display of powerful serves and crosscourt winners, Peters notched a 6-1, 6-1 victory to bring home SU’s second point of the day.
    
‘I have a little trouble starting out sometimes,’ Peters said. ‘Just a little nerves and the fact that I hadn’t played in a couple days, and I think it just got to me. I made a couple easy mistakes, but I just concentrated on putting the ball in play. I was surprised I was able to play so well.’
    
Sardinha also put on a dominant performance in the top-seeded singles match. Her energy captured the attention of the crowd, and her 6-0, 6-1 win over Army’s Anne Houghton was the point that guaranteed the victory for the Orange.

In the middle of the second set, with the match’s outcome still in question, Sardinha let out an exuberant yell after her winner ended a crucial game. Her reaction set off the crowd and secured momentum for the rest of the match.

Both Sardinha and Houghton tried to play at a steady pace, but Sardinha’s resiliency won out and caused Houghton to become increasingly frustrated. After one winner went by her in the second set, Houghton threw up her hands and yelled ‘Really?’ to the Drumlins ceiling.
    
‘I just played my normal game,’ Sardinha said. ‘I’m a consistent player and I just want to keep my consistency up. I didn’t know exactly how she would play, but I figured it out and kept my own game plan.’
    
Peters and Sardinha were just two of the bright spots for the Orange in the continued dominance at home. Parra won 6-0, 6-1 from the fourth-seeded singles slot, and junior Christina Tan won her sixth-seeded match, 6-2, 6-1. Second-seeded sophomore Emily Harman bounced back after losing her second set and won her match in a 10-4 tiebreaker.
    
The Orange’s 10th straight victory was even sweeter for Jensen and the returning members of the team because they lost to Army 5-2 last season.
    
‘It’s a big deal because you lose to someone and you set a mark,’ Jensen said. ‘It gets personal and it gets extremely competitive. To come out after losing to them last year just shows you that this team is the real deal.’
    
jakrakow@syr.edu