Heading into the season, Syracuse tennis head coach Mac Gifford worried about how his team would perform in the highly competitive Big East.

Well, Big East, Schmig East.

In two meets this weekend, the Orangewomen faced two Big East rivals — Connecticut on Friday and West Virginia on Sunday — and beat both. But Gifford knows the rest of Syracuse’s Big East matches will not be won as easily.

‘We were expected to beat these teams,’ Gifford said.

With the wins, the Orangewomen’s record improves to 3-2 — 2-1 in the Big East — and their goals for improvement are materializing.

‘We hope to play better than last year,’ senior Daniela Kaluskova said before the season, ‘and play better in the Big East.’

Any questions about the Orangewomen’s play were answered this weekend.

On Friday, the Orangewomen hosted UConn at Drumlins Tennis Center and beat the Huskies, 6-1. The Orangewomen dominated early, winning all three of the doubles matches.

‘If you are winning all three doubles matches,’ Gifford said, ‘then you are really killing somebody.’

Singles was more of the same, as five of six Orangewomen won in straight sets. Senior Shervin Saedinia suffered a loss to Barbara Schumsky, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2.

Sunday’s home meet against West Virginia wasn’t as easy. The Orangewomen relied on their strength, winning the doubles point with victories from seniors Masha Kabanova and Saedinia and the pair of Kaluskova and junior Jessica Schlosser. Kaluskova, Saedinia and sophomore Kristine Bech Holte went on to win their singles matches to clinch the victory.

Though the Orangewomen lost three matches, not all came as a result of being outplayed. No. 4 singles player Trine Lise Juliussen was forced to retire from her match in the first set because of an ankle injury. The sprain is expected to sideline her for a couple of weeks.

Though one player came away from the matches injured, another Orangewoman returned to the court.

Schlosser’s four matches this weekend marked her first regulation matches since last April’s Big East tournament. She showed no signs of the wrist injury that plagued her for 10 months, going 3-1 with a 2-0 doubles record. Her only loss came in her final match to West Virginia’s Raynie Theis.

The Orangewomen’s wins and Schlosser’s strong return failed to surprise junior Alexa Konstand.

‘We have a really good year ahead of us,’ Konstand said after the team’s first meet of the season.

In hindsight, she was right. The Orangewomen lost five of 18 matches this weekend with one coming as a result of Juliussen’s injury retirement.

With Juliussen’s injury, the team’s lineup could begin to look like the revolving door it did last year, putting a damper on SU’s success.

Gifford hopes this year’s lineup will be more stable than last year’s mess.

‘Last year we had so many injuries it was like a wing and a prayer,’ Gifford said.

But for now, he’s pleased with his team’s performance.

‘I was just totally impressed by the way we played,’ Gifford said. ‘They put their hearts and souls into it.’

Published on February 17, 2003 at 12:00 pm