When Polina Kozyreva is in the midst of a match, she tends to look concerned. Eyebrows narrowed and her mouth positioned in a slight frown is nothing out of the ordinary for the freshman. But against No. 15 Notre Dame, Kozyreva flashed a rare smile. 

Ahead in the third set 5-4, 40-40, Kozyreva hit two lobs before crushing a shot to Julia Lilien’s backhand. The ball clipped the line, giving Syracuse (7-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) a 4-3 victory over the Fighting Irish (8-5, 1-2), and Kozyreva a 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 win. And with her teammates cheering her on, Kozyreva — who won her first singles match since a left ankle injury three weeks ago — felt comfortable for the first time in quite some time.

“It was like my family was here,” said Kozyreva. “It felt warm and cozy.”

“Warm and cozy” is not how most would describe a three-set upset victory. But inside Drumlins Country Club, with its fireplace lit in the lobby, it was warm. Even so, the lobby and courts were the furthest thing from quiet – or as some might describe “cozy”. Once Syracuse started up a chant of “Let’s go Orange,” Notre Dame tried to drown them out with a “Let’s go Irish” chant of their own.

“I didn’t feel that much pressure on my match,” Kozyreva said. “I just felt I need to have fun tonight. I don’t need to win this match necessarily I just need to enjoy myself on the court.”

Kozyreva felt she had something to prove to her teammates, or her “sisters” as she called them. Kozyreva said she acted “depressed” when she couldn’t play, so Friday presented a refreshing opportunity to step up for her team.  Just like veterans Guzal Yusupova and Sonya Treshcheva did against St. John’s and Boston College, respectively.

With head coach Younes Limam and assistant Jennifer Meredith patrolling the sidelines of the freshman’s matches, Kozyreva proved herself. Limam wasn’t sure if Kozyreva could pull out the win, and Kozyreva even admitted she got tight during the important points. As Lilien mounted a third-set comeback – winning three-straight games to push the score to 5-4 – Kim Hansen put a hand Zeynep Erman’s shoulder, furrowing her eyebrows with concern.

Kozyreva had never been in a position like this one before. Beside reminding his young player to breathe, Limam watched with crossed arms from Court 2 with his team.

But a little boost of self confidence from Meredith helped turn the momentum of Kozyreva’s match.

“I’m really bad when it comes to the important points, because I’m nervous, but (Meredith) was there,” said Kozyreva. “She said, ‘You’re stronger than her’ like 10 times. And I go, “Yeah I’m stronger than her 10 times you’re right.’”

Strength wasn’t a problem for Kozyreva, whose booming forehands forced Lilien to run sideline to sideline, up to the net and back. More often than not, after all that running, Kozyreva would clip the sideline with an untouched shot. That’s exactly what happened in the 33rd and final game of the match.

Senior Miranda Ramirez and Erman, a freshman, also sprinkled their respective courts with a variety of shots throughout their matches. After jumping out to a quick three-game lead, Ramirez led for the rest of the set, eventually defeating Zoe Spence 6-4, 6-3. 

Erman secured a victory for her team to even the score at 3-3. After starting the first set down 4-2, Erman stared at the tarp by her court for 10 seconds to regroup. She then won the next five games, and eventually the match 7-6, 6-3. After Erman won the final game against Maeve Koscielski, both she and Limam pumped their fists, with Erman cocking back her head and yelling in triumph.

With her teammates rooting her on after every point Kozyreva had supporters on either side of her. Student assistant coach Dina Hegab poked her head out of a Drumlin’s lobby window to watch Kozyreva’s match on Court 1.

After winning on an untouched ball that just nabbed the baseline, Kozyreva skipped off the court, smiling the whole way. Before even shaking the hand of the umpire, Kozyreva was swarmed by her teammates. After hugs from the team, Syracuse surrounded Kozyreva in a team huddle. 

Limam said Kozyreva spent hours every day working with trainers to recover from her injury as quickly as possible. And her teammates took notice of the time and effort Kozyreva endured to get back on court.

“She wants to be in every practice,” Erman said of Kozyreva. “She has pain. We all know she still has a little pain but she’s like trying her best.”

For Kozyreva, today was about enjoying herself. Throughout her return from injury, Kozyreva’s teammates told her to take her time and not rush herself back. And today, Kozyreva pulled through when her “sisters” needed her.

“I liked when everyone lined up on my court decided to support me,” Kozyreva said. “Oh, guys, I love you so much.”

Published on February 28, 2020 at 8:22 pm

Contact Thomas: tgshults@syr.edu | @ThomasShults_