Syracuse tennis coach Luke Jensen remembers the moment he saw just how good Emily Harman could really be.

The Orange was in a dangerous position on the road against Pittsburgh after losing the doubles point, and Harman, the No. 1 singles player, was playing Kristy Borza, Pittsburgh’s all-time wins leader. After breezing through the first set, Harman slipped up and lost the second set.

But after one look at her, Jensen knew there was no way she was going to lose the match.

‘Sometimes she just gets that look in her eyes,’ Jensen said, ‘and you know she’s going to win.’

Harman went on to win the third and deciding set, 6-2. Syracuse, in turn, went on to win the match. But that was no surprise. Over the course of the season, the 17-year-old freshman has developed into one of the Orange’s most important player as its No. 1 singles player and part of its No. 1 doubles pair.

The baby of the tennis team has often played against players with four and five more years of experience and passed the test with flying colors.

‘I’m so impressed with the maturity for her age,’ Jensen said. ‘She’s stellar at handling responsibility, and she’s shown that in how she’s handled challenges on the court.’

Syracuse almost missed out on arguably its most important player. Before the season, Harman seriously considered going pro or taking a year off to train. But the chance to experience college life and strengthen her game under the best coaching staff in the country, she said, is what drove her to Syracuse.

‘I was ready to move on to greener pastures,’ Harman said. ‘But coach Jensen found me and took me under his wing, and I knew that no other program or going pro presented the opportunity to follow my dreams in both athletics and academics.’

She hasn’t been disappointed with the decision to go to college. Not only has the coaching staff expected perfection with every point, but her teammates have also provided a level of competition every day that is not found at many other programs.

‘Playing with these great players every day has made me so much better,’ Harman said. ‘You have to be on your toes all the time.’

Once she made the decision to attend college, it was back to business as usual. Her self-described ‘swarming’ style of play has frustrated opponents, as Harman has racked up an 11-6 singles record as a freshman.

Harman has also compiled a 14-3 mark as part of the No. 1 doubles pairing with partner Christina Tan. Her strong game at the net supports the doubles style of play, but she credits the chemistry she and Tan have developed for most of their success.

‘Christina is my best friend in the world,’ Harman said. ‘And we’ve worked together all season long, so we just know each other and our games inside out.’

Harman credits Tan and the rest of her teammates for making her into a complete player and a leader part of the larger concept of the team, something she never found in high school.

‘I came in here basically blind,’ Harman said. ‘Everyone from my teammates to the coaching staff took me under their wing and showed me the ropes and how to be the leader of a team, not just a good individual player.’

One year later, after feverishly recruiting Harman to his program, Jensen uses her as a recruiting tool. He shows recruits the Harman of 12 months ago – all skin and bones, he said – and shows them what she has become: Syracuse’s No. 1 singles and doubles player at age 17.

While impacting the current state of the program and perhaps its future recruits, Harman still has three more years, and the end of this year, to contribute.

‘When you have this type of player who can already do so many things for you on your team as a freshman,’ Jensen said. ‘it’s going to be fun watching her for the next three years.’

bplogiur@syr.edu

Published on April 1, 2009 at 12:00 pm