SU hopes to ride hot streak into postseason

For Luke Jensen, all the losing was enough.

Jensen had always been accustomed to winning. He has a high school state championship, a French Open doubles title and victories over some of the best tennis players of the past 30 years.

But in his first three seasons as head coach of the Syracuse tennis team, the Orange lost nearly half its matches — something had to give.

This year, Jensen has guided the Orange to its best season in program history, leading SU to a school-best 18-2 record with one match still to play. The team is undefeated at home and in the Big East and is riding a 12-game winning streak dating back to Feb. 26.

‘I don’t think about losing. I don’t even think it’s an option,’ Jensen said. ‘If we put the ball in the court, if we execute the way we’ve executed and play the way we do in practice, we can’t lose.’
   
Despite the string of wins and the extraordinary regular season, Jensen wants to break through the barrier that has been holding his teams back since he took over as head coach — the Big East tournament.

Jensen’s teams have not had much success in the postseason. SU’s highest finish in the tournament during his tenure was fifth in 2007. The winner of the conference tournament locks up an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament, which has eluded Jensen altogether in his four years.

‘Everybody here wants to get into that tournament,’ Jensen said. ‘That’s why they’re here. They want to represent the Orange in the Big Dance, and we have to bust through the Big East tournament to do it.’

Though the Orange has come up short in seasons past, Jensen and his players know that there is something special about this team. They have been able to accomplish something this season that has not been touched in school history, and players say the pieces are there to make a deep run in the postseason.

‘The returning players have improved a lot and they’ve worked their tails off since they first got here, and the new players are really talented,’ said Chelsea Jones, the only senior on the Orange roster. ‘We work harder than anyone in the Big East, let alone the country. We’re going in to win, and we’re expecting to win.’

There is very little doubt that this team is more talented than in past years, partially thanks to the addition of freshman CC Sardinha and junior transfer Eleanor Peters, who fill the No. 1 and No. 3 singles spots, respectively.
But players believe that the Orange has more to its advantage heading into the postseason than just talent and work ethic. There is also a level of poise and composure surrounding the team that comes with an extended win streak.

‘I think that momentum is very important,’ Sardinha said. ‘You know that you have that confidence and you have a bunch of matches under your belt. Everyone else knows that, too, so it’s also a good intimidation factor.’

Jensen echoed Sardinha’s words but is more encouraged about the effect that the streak has on his players’ teamwork and cohesiveness.

He said that the main problem in the Big East tournament last year was the lack of execution, which happens when players are not performing as a team. Jensen does not see that as a problem this season.

‘There’s great chemistry going on with this team,’ Jensen said. ‘When you see your teammate up 5-0 and you’re up 3-0 and somebody else is up a set, your game starts to come out. Instead of doubting yourself, you trust your big shots.’

Despite the hype surrounding the possibilities of this team, Sardinha doesn’t want to buy into anything just yet. Her style as a leader by example is patience and consistency, and she doesn’t want to get ahead of herself before the tournament starts.

‘I don’t think that much in the future. I like to focus on one match at a time,’ Sardinha said. ‘If we win it, we win it. We’ll just play our best.’

jakrakow@syr.edu