TENNIS : In-match strategy adjustments propel Syracuse to wins over Temple, Rutgers

Rutgers’ Jennifer Holzberg looked flattened early Sunday afternoon. Distress showed in her face, and she walked uneasily with ice packs strapped around her knees.

She had spent more than 50 minutes competing against Syracuse’s Maddie Kobelt, eventually losing the No. 2 singles match 6-1, 6-2.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Kobelt also left a match tired and taped with ice. In both cases, she had to make adjustments to pull out the win.

‘I kind of just rolled through with that momentum that I had yesterday, you know, getting through the tight points in the tight matches,’ Kobelt said.

The Orange was carried by adjustments throughout its weekend home stand. In beating Temple 6-1, the top two singles went to third sets, in which slight tactical changes showed as Emily Harman and Kobelt both walked off victorious. Individual adjustments were critical in snagging a 4-3 win over Rutgers. And head coach Luke Jensen also made some changes, inserting Komal Safdar back into the lineup — a key change that helped SU win its second match against the Scarlet Knights.

Harman repeatedly hit a hard first serve and rushed to the net, only to see Temple’s Yana Mavrina bounce the return right past her in the No.1 singles match. For much of the match, Mavrina stayed at the baseline and tried to outhit Harman with ground strokes.

Once Harman was down a set and a break, 4-3, Jensen went over to the senior’s court to talk strategy. She went on to win nine of the last 10 games of the match and came back to beat Mavrina 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Harman moved Mavrina side to side, wearing her down through rallies before coming to net and closing out points. She changed the pace and spin of her shots, mixing slices and topspin groundstrokes with hard and flat winners. By the end of the match, the pace of play was out of Mavrina’s hands.

‘We want to play a game the other side doesn’t want to play,’ Jensen said.

Kobelt played a similarly difficult match against Temple’s Paola Calderon. She lost the first set in a tiebreaker, but she ran out with the last two sets 6-1 and 6-3.

The opening set unfolded as a back-and-forth grind. Both players hit groundstroke winners, though neither could build a significant lead. Yet as the match progressed, Kobelt’s adjustments let her run away with the match.

‘In the first set, I think we were both kind of playing our games, and I was on my way working to adjust to her style of play,’ Kobelt said. ‘… Definitely in the second and third set I was able to adjust to how she played.’

In the last two sets, Kobelt increasingly attacked the net, closing out points against a visibly unbalanced opponent. The change in tempo took a toll on Calderon, who called an injury timeout after the second set.

The end of the match saw Kobelt consistently win points with aces and sharp winners. And fittingly, Kobelt smashed an overhead winner to end the match.

Though her match against Rutgers was not nearly as close, Kobelt said her mental adjustments from the Temple match helped her focus on key points in the match.

‘You know, I focused more on winning the bigger points today,’ Kobelt said.

Then on Sunday, Jensen turned to Safdar. The freshman is recovering from bronchitis and missed Saturday’s match against Temple. She played with Alessondra Parra in No. 3 doubles and the decision by Jensen proved crucial.

On a day when the Nos. 1 and 2 doubles matches went down to the wire, Parra and Safdar gave a comfortable 8-3 win. It allowed the Orange to capture the match’s doubles point on the way to edging out Rutgers 4-3.

Safdar started the match tentatively, but her timing eventually came back. And her volleys provided the finishing touch as Balsamo and Ivey struggled to deal with Parra’s groundstrokes.

‘We have other options, but Komal’s our best option in the doubles,’ Jensen said.

And SU will need to stay sharp next weekend. The Orange hosts No. 25 Yale and No. 60 William and Mary. To win those matches, Jensen insists his team stops playing to the level of competition and starts playing its own game.

‘Next week we’ve got to amp it up,’ Jensen said. ‘If we don’t, we’ll lose. It’s as simple as that.’

jmklinge@syr.edu