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Syracuse entered Thursday’s match desperate for a win. After losing three straight matches to begin Atlantic Coast Conference play, Syracuse returned home to face Buffalo.

The Orange (8-4, 2-3 ACC) defeated the Bulls (13-4, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) 6-1 in their last nonconference match of the season. SU’s victory was propelled by strong doubles performances across the board.

Junior Miyuka Kimoto paired with Viktoriya Kanapatskaya faced Buffalo’s Ambre Amat and Esmee Andresen in the No. 1 doubles match. Though it won handily, SU initially struggled to pull away against Buffalo. Amat put UB on the board early with a thunderous spike over Kimoto. From there on out, it was all Kimoto. A mix of looping shots and counters put the Orange up.

“I think Miyuaka is a natural doubles player,” SU head coach Younes Limam said after the match.
“She reads the game very well.”

Kimoto and Kanapatskaya took the match 6-0 thanks in large part to Kimoto’s dominance.

In the No. 2 doubles match, Anastasia Sysoeva and Constance Levivier battled back from an early deficit to win 6-4. Against Buffalo’s Azra Deniz Comlek and Laura Koralnik, SU faced its toughest doubles contest. Sysoeva and Levivier secured the doubles point for the Orange. The third doubles match of Emilie Elde and Shiori Ito against Buffalo’s Jagmeet Kaur and Deanne Choo ended early, with SU up 5-3.

“I thought we did a great job with our doubles. I think it set the tone for the rest of the momentum of the singles,” Limam said.

In singles, Kimoto continued her dominance. Placed in the No. 1 role against UB’s Comlek, Kimoto jumped out to a quick start. The junior won the first set 6-2, but Comlek stormed back. Comlek began the second set up 2-1 but surrendered her lead to Kimoto, who never looked back. Not long after, Kimoto took the second set 6-2, earning SU its first singles point.

It took a while after Kimoto’s victory for any other matches to end, but two match wins from Ines Fonte and Sysoeva followed in quick succession of each other. The two points secured SU’s victory on the day, but Limam’s team played out the final three matches.

Elde won in a tiebreaker against Buffalo’s Kaur. After falling in the first set 6-2, the sophomore took the following two sets in a tightly contested matchup. Following a dominant first-set victory, Kanapatskaya also played in a tiebreaker against Koralnik. She won, ending the contest.

The lone Buffalo victory came courtesy of Mariana Carvajal Torres, beating Levivier in straight sets. Her victory was insignificant though, as the contest had already been decided.

For the Orange, it was a needed victory after dropping three straight matches. Though with nonconference play now over, things won’t be getting any easier for SU.

“We’re gonna enjoy this one first,” Limam said. “It’s been a while since we got a W and I think it does a lot of good for our team.”

Published on March 7, 2024 at 9:23 pm