Tennis aiming to rebound from four-game skid this weekend
Even though the Syracuse women’s tennis team has struggled through its last handful of games, its confidence hasn’t taken a hit.
‘The difference between us and the teams we’re playing is very small,’ said junior Chelsea Jones. ‘These teams are going to be shocked next time we play them and beat them.’
High confidence is a start for a team that has fallen in four straight matches and five of its last six. The team will try to change its fortunes in its final home stand of the season this weekend against Big East foes Connecticut and Providence. The Orange hosts Connecticut today at 11 a.m., and tangle with Providence Sunday at 9 a.m.
The team headed to Florida hoping the warm weather would cure its losing, but the Orange continued to stumble. But even though it came up empty-handed against South Florida and Florida International, coach Luke Jensen thought the experience was the most productive trip he’s had as coach of the Orange.
‘It was the most professional trip we’ve been on since I’ve been here,’ Jensen said. ‘(The players) knew it wasn’t going to be what you would call a classic spring break, but they went down and put the work in.’
That work consisted of running three miles to practice, practicing, running three miles back to the hotel, and then practicing again in the afternoon, along with 100 sit-ups and push-ups every day.
Though it was brutal, Jones said the training ‘worked wonders on the team and it made the players among the most fit teams in the nation.’
But the training failed to produce any tangible results as the Orange lost by lopsided scores of 7-0 and 6-1, respectively.
The problems have largely stemmed from the transition from the doubles point to the six singles points. The Orange has won 10 of 13 doubles points in their matches this season, while its singles players have failed lately to build on that momentum for the remainder of the match.
The Orange also is failing to take advantage of their first serves, Jensen said. The team is struggling to get their first serves in play on a consistent basis.
‘The serve is the most important shot of the game,’ Jensen said. ‘We’re not taking advantage of the first serve, and we need to improve our power, placement, and accuracy on it.’
The team’s spirits are still high, though. Though marred in the long losing streak, they’ve lost only twice at home in the past two years, including once this year.
And they all expect the crowd to be a huge factor, especially against a team like Connecticut, who Jensen said ‘the entire university has a problem with.’
‘Plus,’ Jensen said, ‘(Connecticut coach) Glenn Marshall has much better hair than me, so that should get them even more fired up.’
Published on March 19, 2009 at 12:00 pm
