The fans and the opposing team were on their way home. Inside Drumlins Tennis Center, the Syracuse tennis team started an impromptu practice. None of the coaches told the players to hit the court – they just picked up their rackets and started hitting the ball.

After a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Iowa State Sunday, Syracuse’s first loss this season, the players took it upon themselves to begin the process of preparing for their next opponent as soon as the match had ended. The Orange went 1-1 this weekend, defeating Massachusetts Friday, 6-1.

‘They want to get better,’ head coach Luke Jensen said. ‘They know they can get better. They need to get better.’

When the No. 1 doubles team of Emily Harman and Christina Tan rallied to win their match for the Orange, their teammates stormed the court to celebrate with them. It may not have been 30,000 fans rushing the Carrier Dome floor, but the pride and joy was evident after Syracuse started the match by sweeping all three doubles matches.

That momentum could not carry Syracuse (7-1, 2-0 Big East) to victory, and the team fell short of earning its eighth win of the year when Iowa State took four-of-six singles matches to secure the victory.

‘We’re taking it pretty rough,’ junior Chelsea Jones said. ‘We won the first seven matches and someone interrupted our flow. Someone that we should have beaten beat us.’

Both Jensen and Jones said Syracuse had the ability to beat Iowa State, but problems in execution plagued the team and eventually cost them the match.

‘When you face adversity, it really reveals character,’ Jensen said. ‘Losing stinks. What are you going to do about it? If you win all the time, that’s easy. These are the times where your character really kicks in.’

Some of that character showed during the match on Sunday. SU trailed in all three doubles matches before storming back to win the point. In the end, some missed opportunities in singles play, costing the Orange the chance at victory.

As the match was drawing to a close, Athletic Director Daryl Gross entered Drumlins. Once the contest was over, Gross entered the huddle with the team to speak to them. Jensen said the mood in that huddle was one of encouragement.

‘The bottom line is the feeling inside, that empty pain that you feel inside right now needs to be channeled in the right way,’ Jensen said. ‘It’s a gut check.’

The team began channeling that feeling into its spontaneous practice. Jones said the team will keep up that energy throughout the week.

‘We’re more fired up than ever to come back, work harder on the practice court and kick someone else’s butt,’ Jones said.

After crushing Massachusetts Friday, the Orange finally dropped its first match of the season to the Cyclones in a contest that became so intense at one point the official had to quiet the players and fans.

Syracuse’s weekend was a tale of two teams. On Friday, the Orange handily defeated the Minutewomen with relative ease. Following that match, Jensen said it was the first time in his tenure at Syracuse that the team did not play to the level of its opponent, but dictated the pace and forced the other team to match Syracuse’s intensity. On Sunday, Iowa State constantly applied pressure to SU and forced them to make mistakes.

Syracuse was off to its best start in 30 years entering Sunday’s contest. The chance for an undefeated season is now over for the Orange, but Jensen will not dwell on that fact.

‘The record’s the record. It’s over. This match is done,’ Jensen said. ‘Do we get better because of it or do we get worse?’

The team showed it was ready to get better immediately following the loss. Jensen said he and the team will focus on the positive aspects of this loss and are ready to move forward.

‘I really believe,’ Jensen said, ‘this may be one of the finest hours of our season.’

azmeola@syr.edu

Published on February 22, 2009 at 12:00 pm