Alessondra Parra couldn’t have picked a better time to win her first No. 1 singles match. With Syracuse’s match with Binghamton tied 3-3, Parra knew the significance of her fourth match at the No. 1 position.

 

It was about winning it for the team and breaking out of her slump.

 

‘I definitely felt that everything was on the line,’ Parra said. ‘I knew that either way I wanted to pull it out, whether it was going to make the difference, but I definitely thought about it.’

 

With a 13-game home winning streak on the line, Parra used three sets and three tiebreakers to defeat Binghamton opponent Anna Edelman on Friday.

 

Parra never lacked confidence in securing her first win at her newly appointed position. After trailing in both the second and third sets, Parra was able to rally from behind to clinch Syracuse’s victory over Binghamton.

 

Head coach Luke Jensen marveled at Parra’s ability to deal with the adversity throughout the match. Parra held a 5-2 lead in the final set, but Edelman responded and won four straight games. With Edelman serving for the match, Parra was not about to let up. She broke Edelman’s serve and won the third set in a 7-5 tiebreak, in turn putting an end to the marathon match.

 

‘It’s the most exciting match that I’ve ever been a part of here at Syracuse University,’ Jensen said. ‘It’s just that bulletproof mentality that this team has when they face pressure.’

 

Edelman won the first set after a 7-5 tiebreaker. Parra held two set points but was unable to break Edelman’s serve leading to the tiebreaker. Parra fell a set down, a situation she grew accustomed to during her three-game losing streak to start the season as the No. 1 singles option.

 

But this match was different. Parra responded, and with SU trailing 3-2, Parra and teammate Emily Harman made their moves. The pair of teammates trailed in their matches, but they were both able to rally.

 

‘Those matches could have gone either way, both of them,’ Christina Tan said. ‘We were confident that they weren’t just going to mail it in.’

 

Harman clinched her match, but Parra still had a long way to go. Parra fell into a rhythm toward the end of the second set, and as the match progressed, the ball began to pick up speed off of her racket.

 

‘As you play a match, you would like to come out with perfect timing. But a lot of times what happens is you end up having your best timing at the end,’ Parra said. ‘I was definitely hitting harder, and I think it was a combination of getting into the groove of the rallies with her and mentally telling myself that I needed to do that.’

 

The match was not the first time Parra was confronted with a scenario to clinch a match. She clinched SU’s 4-3 victory over Binghamton a year ago, and she was going to make sure she picked up where she left off against this opponent.

 

Jensen huddled with Parra and made sure she used an appropriate serve in the latter parts of the match so she could utilize her biggest weapon and close out the match.

 

‘She has a very beautiful first-strike weapon with her forehand,’ Jensen said. ‘My thing is picking out the right serve and then going with it.’

 

Parra rallied down the stretch. And with the Orange lining the sidelines of the final match and watching Edelman’s final shot sail out of bounds, SU players stormed the court.

 

‘The feeling is really amazing because it’s not just you that is super excited but every single person on your team,’ Parra said. ‘When everyone gathers together, it’s just amazing.’

 

adtredin@syr.edu

Published on February 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm