Simone Kalhorn doesn’t care what position she is in the Syracuse lineup. She has played just about every one of them.

It’s more important to beat the player on the other side of the net, she said. And the Syracuse co-captain has succeeded so far this season in the No. 5 and 6 positions.

On Thursday, a familiar — and not so friendly — foe awaits. Kalhorn lost all of her singles matches against Cornell in each of the last three seasons.

But Kalhorn is having a banner senior year, with a team-best 8-1 record. And the senior will look to buck the trend against the Big Red as the Orange takes on Cornell on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Drumlins Tennis Center. The Orange (9-2, 4-0 Big East) has beaten Cornell (6-2) in tight contests in each of the last two seasons, and the Big Red will likely provide SU with a challenging match yet again.

‘They’ve given us problems in the past,’ Syracuse head coach Luke Jensen said. ‘They’ve beaten us, and we’ve beaten them. We took them out last fall in an invitational, but all the matches were close.’

The last three seasons provided Kalhorn with the experiences necessary to become an elite player for the Orange this season. Kalhorn saw doubles play from every position and gathered experience at every singles position except at No. 1. For Kalhorn, the skills acquired in previous seasons are more valuable than what position she is playing at this season.

She played through a particularly difficult freshman campaign at the No. 2 singles position, winning just nine matches. Kalhorn, Jacquelynn Tang and Christina Tan — the seniors remaining from that season — struggled to an 11-14 record, but those trials made the group stronger.

Now they are playing the best tennis of their careers.

‘They got hammered, and they lost a lot,’ Jensen said. ‘I see a lot of seniors on other teams getting out of shape or mailing it in and riding out their string, but they’re practicing harder than ever before.’

Kalhorn’s work ethic earned her the role of co-captain for the Orange this season. Despite playing from the No. 5 and 6 positions, she relishes in her captaincy. She is the lone senior to play in each of SU’s matches this season.

And Kalhorn has had success as a doubles player, too. Alessondra Parra explained her partnership with Kalhorn has made a mark on the way she plays at both the singles and doubles level. The duo forged a relationship while playing 20 matches together during Parra’s freshman season.

Kalhorn and Parra teamed up to play in a professional tournament this summer, which helped the two build trust and gain a competitive edge.

‘She leads by example and has an amazing work ethic,’ Parra said. ‘She’s willing to share a lot of what she knows to help other players. Those three things end up adding up into someone you can rely on and that is willing to put so much out on the table for you to succeed.’

Kalhorn is approaching a milestone as well. With nine wins, Kalhorn will become the 26th player in Syracuse history to win 100 games. The transformation from playing as a freshman to now, four years later, has led to team and individual success.

‘I guess it’s exciting that I can win that much for this program,’ Kalhorn said. ‘I know it’s because I’ve been able to improve each year on my game, and that’s more of a win to me than the number of matches I’ve won.’

Kalhorn has grown into a more complete player in her fourth season at SU. But on Thursday, she will look to complete a missing piece from her career — beating Cornell from the singles position for the first time.

She started her career at the No. 2 singles position, but for Kalhorn those numbers mean nothing. This year’s team is in a much better position to succeed, and her success lower in the SU lineup is a large part of the reason why.

‘I know that we have a deep team all the way through,’ Kalhorn said. ‘I’m happy to play anywhere knowing that only one point in the match matters.’

adtredin@syr.edu

 

Published on March 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm