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Miranda Ramirez and Guzal Yusupova huddled one last time, covering their mouths with their hands before Yusupova served and Florida State’s return hit the net. The pair of graduate students won at No. 3 doubles, 6-1, with head coach Younes Limam clapping and encouraging the two between points.

“It was a great start to the day,” Limam said about the No. 3 doubles match. “I was really pleased (with) how we closed that match.”

It was the only match Syracuse closed out, though. Sunday afternoon, Syracuse (4-6, 3-4 Atlantic Coast) lost the other two doubles matches and all six singles ones in a 7-0 sweep against No. 7 Florida State (11-3, 6-2) at the Drumlins Tennis Center. The loss marked SU’s third consecutive and its largest margin of defeat this season.

Ramirez and Yusupova’s dominant victory in doubles meant they finished well before the other two matches. Both the No. 1 and No. 2 pairs were entrenched in close matches.

With a 5-3 lead, Natalie Novotna and Viktoriya Kanapatskaya looked to cap off a doubles round upset. Instead, the two fell flat as Emmanuelle Salas and Victoria Allen stormed back with a strong presence at the net to win four straight games and take the set 7-5.

With the doubles round tied at 1-1, Syracuse’s No. 2 doubles — Kozyreva and Sofya Treshcheva — clawed their way back from a 1-4 deficit and managed to tie the set at 5-5. Players, coaches and Drumlins staff members gathered to watch the conclusion of the decisive match. Kozyreva and Treshcheva lost the following game and went into the next changeover with a 5-6 deficit.

“Bounce around Polina, bounce around,” Limam shouted as she walked back onto the court, encouraging her to stay fluid and actively staying on her feet.

But it didn’t amount to anything. Inconsistent volleying at the net saw Syracuse drop a second-straight game and lose the set 5-7. Florida State’s team roared as they clinched the doubles round victory, taking a 1-0 lead into singles play.

“You have to have a short memory,” Limam said after the match. “It takes a lot more than just doubles to get it done.”

In singles play, Kozyreva retired from her match in the first set. She initially fell into a 0-3 hole but found a way back into the match by winning the next two games. Kozyreva was seen talking to a team trainer during the changeover when down 2-3. She continued to play on, but after losing the next two games and going down 2-5, Kozyreva called it there. SU didn’t clarify whether her availability moving forward would be affected.

On court six, freshman Ines Fonte stepped in for the singles round to play Andrea Garcia at the No. 6 singles spot. Fonte fell in two sets, 3-6, 1-6, losing her second straight singles match. Yusuopova also lost in straight sets, 2-6, 2-6.

The only signs of life for SU came from Kanapatskaya, Novotna and Ramirez. Even then, the match was already decided. With a 4-0 lead, Florida State would’ve won the match even if Syracuse came out on top in all three remaining contests.

Novotna and Ramirez challenged their respective opponents to first-set tiebreaks, but quickly ran out of steam afterwards. Novotna (6-7, 1-6) initially looked to close out her first set, but crucial double faults and failed backhand slice attempts were errors that proved to be too costly. Ramirez (6-7, 3-6) attempted to put up a fight in her second set, but this wasn’t enough either.

Kanapatskaya (3-6, 6-7) returned yet again to her mainstay position at No. 1 singles, but saw her seven-match winning streak ended by Florida State’s Giulia Pairone. After losing her first set, Kanapatskaya almost forced a third by earning a tiebreak, but ultimately lost after a failed overhead smash hit the wrong side of the net.

The Orange sit two games below .500 after two losses this weekend, and three straight. Sunday afternoon, at home, Syracuse accumulated many mistakes across the board. Now, with six matches remaining, the Orange will go on the road for their next four.

Despite the loss, Limam said SU has three new players and is continuing to grow as a team.

“Right now, we’re knocking at the door,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Published on March 14, 2021 at 5:16 pm

Contact Bryan: brbrush@syr.edu