In a season marked by close losses and disappointment in ACC play, Syracuse tennis closed its regular season with a 4-0 loss to Notre Dame, a match emblematic of the Orange’s struggles.
The loss was Syracuse’s 10th in conference play, and the Orange officially finished the regular season with a losing record. However, not all is lost for SU, as the ACC tournament begins April 15.
If one were to sculpt a picturesque match to represent the Orange’s ACC season, this might be it.
Syracuse fell behind early, dropping the doubles point 2-0. The Orange finished ACC play with a combined doubles record of 5-19. Notably, Syracuse did not lose a match all season when it secured the opening point. In Sunday’s match, the lone doubles set led by SU — Kimoto and Sysoeva’s — was left unfinished at 5-3.
Singles play offered no reprieve. Notre Dame swiftly secured three straight victories to clinch the duel. Bianca Molnar opened the scoring with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Serafima Shastova. Rylie Hanford followed with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Shiori Ito at No. 5 singles. It marked Ito’s final regular-season match with the Orange.
No. 1 Akari Matsuno sealed the result for the Irish, defeating SU 6-4, 6-2.
Syracuse will play what could be its final dual match of the season on Monday against Boston College.
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