Connecticut’s Emily Herb had enough. After losing another point, she turned and smacked a tennis ball into the curtain behind her in frustration. Her teammates were not faring much better.

Such was the situation for the Huskies, who were thrashed by Syracuse, 6-1, Friday at Drumlins Tennis Center. The Orange (10-5, 4-2 Big East) snapped a four-match losing streak and moved to 6-1 at home this season.

‘We just needed to really focus from start to finish without any kind of lapses in concentration,’ head coach Luke Jensen said.

Syracuse dominated the match from the opening serve, conquering all three doubles matches with ease. The team has won the doubles point in 13 of its 15 matches this season.

Sophomore Jacquelynn Tang saw her first playing time since Jan. 24, but she showed no signs of rust in her first singles action of the year, handily winning her contest, 6-1, 7-5.

And all it took was a good pair of eyes.

‘She had a cast on her left hand,’ Tang said. ‘The most logical thing was to just keep going to her back hand. She didn’t have a really strong serve.’

Despite not having played in nearly two months, Tang seamlessly integrated back into the action and helped Syracuse secure the victory.

‘It was nice to be able to come back out and compete for the team,’ Tang said. ‘It’s been a while, but it felt great.’

After dropping four straight matches, all on the road, the Orange entered Friday’s contest launching into a stretch of Big East matches to close out the season. Starting out against a rival opponent motivated SU.

‘We came to beat UConn,’ Jensen said. ‘We tagged them twice last year. UConn is a traditional rival for this university. The players know it. The fans know it. We were jacked for this match.’

That energy showed throughout the afternoon. Syracuse consistently outclassed Connecticut in every aspect of the match, from first serves to final shots. In each of the singles matches that it won, the Orange never trailed.

Jensen said the team had been working to improve its transition game, the ability to go from the baseline to the net. He also said execution of transition shots and better shots around the service line were points of emphasis for the team heading into the match Friday.

The extra focus paid off, as Syracuse dictated the pace of the match. While the Orange looked fresh and energized after each point, the Huskies grew more tired and frustrated as the matches progressed.

Syracuse was also able to maintain its energy transitioning from the doubles to singles matches. In the majority of the contests the Orange has won this season, it used the momentum it gained in claiming the doubles point to keep pressure on its opponents in the singles matches. Friday’s contest was no different.

‘We just came out today and played our game,’ freshman Victoria Ford said. ‘Looking down the line, everybody came out and just played the way we want to play tennis. That’s how we practice every day, and I feel like it came into the match today.’

To keep the momentum going, Jensen said the team will need to get solid rest, make sure the players are caught up on their studies and take care of the other fundamentals throughout the week.

‘After a losing streak, now we’ve got Big East matches in front of us,’ Jensen said. ‘We have to start knocking them down.’

The gauntlet started Friday with one of Syracuse’s biggest rivals. Conquering a sworn enemy is sure to provide some energy, and the players certainly were enthusiastic after the match.

‘I love beating UConn,’ Ford said. ‘Love it.’

azmeola@syr.edu

Published on March 22, 2009 at 12:00 pm