The Syracuse tennis roster has four columns: name, class, height and hometown. It does not include a column for injuries, but maybe it should.

After an 8-10 record and fifth-place finish at the Big East Championship last season, the Orangewomen want to prove to the conference that they are not destined to be mired in the swamps of mediocrity forever. But to do that, they’ll need a few more healthy bodies.

The injury list reads like a manifesto. Even head coach Mac Gifford complained of a cranky thigh yesterday, and his assistant, Jana Strnadova-Bacova, has been home with flu-like symptoms.

‘Unfortunately half the team is injured and, as of this moment, we still don’t know what the lineup is because we still don’t know who can play and who cannot play,’ said Masha Kabanova, who will likely play No. 1 singles when the team opens the season against Colgate in Hamilton today. ‘We’re hoping for a miracle I guess.’

The only miracle the Orangewomen have experienced so far is that their top four players have remained relatively healthy. Kabanova suffered from a sore back at times in the offseason, but she said the pain is gone. Shervin Saedinia, who will play No. 3 singles today, has suffered off and on from tennis elbow in her right elbow, but she appears healthy. Those two will also serve as SU’s feature doubles tandem, moving up from the No. 2 doubles spot they occupied last year.

Two newcomers make up the Nos. 2 and 4 singles spots, sophomore transfer Daniela Kaluskova – whom the team is raving about – and freshman Kristine Holte. Kaluskova will play No. 2 today, but she may move into the No. 1 slot at times.

‘The great thing about this team is that the following week it could be Shervin, Kristine, Daniela, Masha,’ Gifford said. ‘I can’t change it that drastically, but they’re all playing really well. Some are great practice players and some are great match players, and vice versa. I can go out and look at the lineup and see who’s going to fare better against a certain kind of player.’

The injury situation clouds the picture at Nos. 5 and 6 singles. Last season Katie Thompson played No. 5 and Zani Suttle played No. 6, but neither will be seeing a tennis court in the near future.

Suttle has battled a rotator cuff injury and cannot practice. ‘She winces every time she hits the ball,’ Gifford said.

Thompson’s status remains even more uncertain. The only senior on the roster, Thompson underwent surgery for appendicitis in the fall. Although she recovered from that setback, Thompson cannot play for academic reasons, Gifford said.

So sophomore Jessica Schlosser moves up to the No. 5 singles spot. Schlosser never cracked the lineup last season because of Suttle’s impressive play at No. 6, but this season she may get her chance to prove to Gifford she belongs in the lineup.

Of course, Schlosser comes with injuries of her own. She spent last semester rehabbing an injured left wrist. Although Schlosser is ready to play, the injury has forced her to switch to a one-handed backhand, a shot Gifford called one of the most difficult to execute.

Marion Charlier will play No. 6 singles against Colgate, Gifford said, but sophomore Margot Ahlquist could challenge her for playing time as the season wears on. Ahlquist missed all of last year with a torn hamstring, but she rehabbed it last semester. Although she said the injury still nags her, she is near 100 percent.

‘I’ve really worked hard at my game over the summer, overcoming my injuries and keeping up with my fitness,’ Ahlquist said. ‘I should be able to stay in the lineup.’

Her teammates hope for the same. With eight of the 13 players on the roster either recovering or suffering from injuries, keeping six players healthy may be the biggest challenge for Syracuse this season.

‘It’s like any other sport,’ Ahlquist said. ‘Injuries happen.’

Published on January 29, 2002 at 12:00 pm