After its first two matches this season, Syracuse wasn’t satisfied. It felt it could have won both, but let good opportunities slip away. Head coach Luke Jensen even said his players were embarrassed to tell family and friends they were 0-2.

Syracuse needed to find a way to break out of its slump quickly.

The Orange took out this resentment on St. John’s on Friday night, jumping all over the Red Storm in a 7-0 victory in front of 121 at Drumlins Tennis Center. Aggressive play proved to be the perfect antidote for the team’s struggles, and this up-tempo style existed across all matches. The Red Storm (0-1, 0-1 Big East) never managed to take control, with the Orange (2-2, 1-1) refusing to allow easy points, and rarely made any easy returns. Syracuse completed the weekend with a 7-0 sweep at Buffalo (1-2) on Sunday, reaching the .500 mark on the season.

After those season-opening losses, SU made a complete reversal of its play.

‘We try to play fast,’ Jensen said. ‘We try to play up-tempo as fast as possible. The aggressiveness of our style really landed a lot of punches and did all the damage.’

Against St. John’s, freshman Komal Safdar doggedly chased balls around the court and refused to let her opponent outwork her on any single point. Safdar earned her first collegiate victory after she was humbled in straight sets last week. 

Safdar said she knows putting heat on the ball was important, especially at the collegiate level, where all players are proficient at returning serves.

‘Anyone can hit a ball a hundred times in the court,’ Safdar said. ‘We try to dictate the play. We try to control the ball. That’s how we win in the end.’

While Safdar took control of her match on her court, sophomore Maddie Kobelt did the same on another. Kobelt won her first set 6-0 and produced hard returns that kept her opponent, Ece Firat, in a defensive mindset. The Orange controlled the tempo on all courts and kept St. John’s players from gaining momentum.

At times, the Red Storm could barely return serves aside from weak lobs that the Orange could easily spike. By staying aggressive, the Orange stayed in control and won all of its matches in straight sets.

After not being able to gain control in those first two matches, Syracuse entered this weekend intent on doing so through aggression against St. John’s. Sophomore Aleah Marrow won her match 6-0, 6-2, generating the same hard returns that made it difficult for her opponent to pose much of a challenge.

‘With a team like St. John’s that plays at a slower pace, we try to keep the energy up,’ Marrow said. ‘That’s intensity, and that’s what we came out here and did.’ 

Walking off the court after her easy victory, Marrow had a clear bounce in her step.

Kobelt’s match was a microcosm of the Orange’s efforts. All match long, Kobelt was driving the ball into the backcourt, forcing Firat to use significantly more energy. By the end of the match, it was clear Firat could not match the power that Kobelt was generating, and Kobelt won 6-0, 6-2.

Kobelt, Marrow and senior Alessondra Parra all won their first sets 6-0, setting the tone quickly.  Parra’s returns were consistent, and her sense of control allowed her to stay aggressive without making pivotal mistakes.

Jensen talked about confidence being a team strength despite the early setbacks. This confidence translated into the intensity on the court, and Jensen feels that the effort shown in practice carried over to the match.

By staying aggressive and playing at an up-tempo pace, the Orange made sure the losing streak ended at two.

‘I like the way we responded after two straight losses,’ Jensen said.  ‘It’s hard to tell our own fans that we’re 0-2.  Now our fans see that we’re a good team, and we’re landing punches.’

kmprisei@syr.edu

Published on January 29, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Kevin: kmprisei@syr.edu