Like many students across the nation, the Syracuse tennis team is heading to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., next week for Spring Break.

But the Orangewomen (4-4, 3-1 Big East) won’t have much time for rest with three meets on schedule: Miami of Ohio, Southern Illinois and Dartmouth.

With two of Syracuse’s losses coming against Brown and Cornell, the Orangewomen aren’t having the best of luck against the Ivy League.

If they thought going to Florida was the best way to avoid the Ivy League, though, they should think again. Not only will the Orangewomen have to face Dartmouth, but they’ll face them in their third meet of the break. Meanwhile, it’ll be the first action of the week for the Big Green.

Dartmouth head coach Bob Dallis isn’t ready to guarantee victory yet, though.

‘(Syracuse is) a good team,’ Dallis said. ‘And a very good doubles team.’

Along with the Ivy League, the Orangewomen will also have to deal with a few other teams, a few other demons and a few weather issues.

For SU, the circumstances of this year’s Spring Break are similar to last year’s. Syracuse enters the trip with the same record as it did last year. This year, SU’s .500 winning percentage is as good as any of the other teams on the trip. Dartmouth is also at .500 with a record of 3-3, Miami is only 3-5 and Southern Illinois is 2-4.

But while the Orangewomen’s record may be the same, they’re going into this road trip a much more confident team.

‘We feel like we’re playing really well this year,’ junior Jessica Schlosser said.

And though the Orangewomen are 1-4 on the road, they’re not worried about playing away from home.

‘It’s nice to play at home of course,’ senior Shervin Saedinia said. ‘But we play so much away that we’re used to it.’

Last spring, Syracuse made the same trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and lost its three matches to Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Miami of Ohio — who SU will square off against again over the weekend.

This year, the Orangewomen are hoping for better results.

‘They don’t have outdoor courts down there,’ Dallis said. ‘The big thing is getting used to the sun. Anytime you play outdoors it’s an adjustment.’

Luckily though, Dartmouth isn’t exactly used to the Florida heat, either.

‘We’ve been waking up to negative-20 degree weather,’ Dallis said. ‘And down there, it’s been in the 80s. That’s a 100 degree difference.’

Published on March 5, 2003 at 12:00 pm