When it comes to doubles, the Syracuse women’s tennis tandem of Chelsea Jones and Ashley Spicer take head coach Luke Jensen’s aggressive style of play to another level.

‘We’re crazy,’ Spicer said. ‘We scream and yell at each other after a big point, and we like to intimidate the opponents as much as possible.’

Jones and Spicer are part of the three doubles teams that have set the tone for the Orange’s 7-1 start. Combined with the tandems of Emily Harman and Christina Tan and Simone Kalhorn and Alessondra Parra, the team has amassed a dominating 21-3 record in the doubles facet of the game.

The doubles portion may prove to be extremely important in the upcoming days, as the team faces the toughest portion of its schedule yet. Between Friday and Monday, SU will play three matches in four days, with a trip to Rutgers sandwiched in between two home dates with Cornell and Army

Since the doubles point is the first of the seven awarded in a match, Jensen said it gives the team a psychological edge and momentum heading into the singles portion, where many of the same athletes compete.

‘Statistically in women’s tennis, the team that earns the doubles point has an 84 percent chance of winning the entire match,’ Jensen said. ‘It’s a huge point for both teams to get that very first initial wave of momentum.’

The Orange has earned that doubles point in seven of eight tries this season, leading to its 7-1 overall record.

The biggest factors in Jones and Spicer’s success, they said, have been their coach’s experience, their complete confidence in each other’s games and their growing familiarity and comfort with one another.

They began playing with each other last spring, and every day since, they’ve developed an unbeatable chemistry.

‘We have the best chemistry,’ Jones said, ‘and I’ve played with other players and haven’t gotten this same feeling. We get along great off the court too, which is huge for a doubles team.’

They credit Jensen for finding the best pairings on and off the court. Though they said they both play extremely aggressively, each has individual strengths that complement the other and make the pairing a whole.

‘(Jones) has great forehand and backhand ground strokes, and her returns are amazing,’ Spicer said. ‘That allows me to take care of my favorite part, the net.’

Playing for each other is one component of doubles that separates it from any other discipline.

‘Doubles advances the ‘team theme,” Spicer said. ‘You never want to let your partner down, and at the same time, if one of us is a little off one day, we know we can rely on the other to pick up the slack.’

Their confidence in each other, they said, makes it hard to believe they will ever miss a shot, let alone lose a match.

Jones and Spicer also credit Jensen, a French Open doubles champion, for every doubles strategy they’ve learned and their 7-1 doubles record.

Jensen said the team’s key to success in the doubles discipline is its unique style of play. Most women’s teams, he said, play passive doubles, in which they serve and play back at the baseline. The Orange focus on being aggressive, hitting with a lot of power and getting to the net before their opponents.

‘In the tactical side of doubles, the winning teams historically own the net from start to finish,’ Jensen said.

The goal is to create an atmosphere of complete chaos for the other team.

And continuing the winning streak in the doubles point could bode well for Syracuse this weekend.

‘If we keep winning that first point,’ Jensen said, ‘I like our chances.’

bplogiur@syr.edu

Published on February 26, 2009 at 12:00 pm