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A year ago, Syracuse entered its matchup against Columbia with a 4-0 record, allowing just one point combined in those four matches. The Lions ended SU’s unbeaten start, winning 5-2 in New York City.

In 2025, the stage was familiar. Syracuse entered an undefeated 6-0, looking dominant in all facets throughout the initial stretch of the season. Following Syracuse’s two road wins in Boston, there was an added layer of pressure for the final nonconference contest of the season.

At Drumlins Country Club on Sunday afternoon, history did not repeat itself. Syracuse (7-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) downed Columbia (5-4, 0-0 Ivy League) 5-1 to stay undefeated in its final nonconference contest of the season.

“I think some of the scores look like it was an easy match, but it was a lot closer than what the score reflected,” Syracuse head coach Younes Limam said.

Sunday, Limam opted to feature the same doubles pairings from SU’s previous game against Boston College. A year ago, Syracuse finished 25-29 in doubles, and Limam has consistently tinkered with the pairings after dropping all three matches to James Madison on Jan. 25.

The shuffling has paid off. Limam has found a combination that works in Miyuka Kimoto and Anastasia Sysoeva, who starred in the No. 1 doubles slot on Sunday. The duo jumped out to a 2-0 lead after Sysoeva laced a shot on the sideline to even the score at 40, and the subsequent rally went SU’s way.

Malak El Allami and Fatima Keita, anchoring the Columbia side, battled back with a flurry of impressive volleys to tie the match at 3-3. But Kimoto and Sysoeva overwhelmed the Lions duo, capped off by an emphatic Kimoto fist pump for the match’s final point.

The court adjacent to Kimoto and Sysoeva featured more of the same success. Shiori Ito and Nelly Knezkova ambushed Columbia’s Sophia Strugnell and Gayathri Krishnan, winning five straight games en route to a 6-1 victory. Ito and Knezkova continue to show why they were ranked No. 96 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association doubles ranking in the fall.

“I think we knew against a very good Columbia team, we needed to start early, so we did that. We set the tone in doubles,” Limam said.

Limam decided to go with the same six players for singles that he did against Boston College.

After defeating her in doubles, Serafima Shastova battled Amber Yin again – this time in the No. 4 singles position. Yin did not fare any better against the Stavropol, Russia native, who cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

Knezkova was similarly dominant in the No. 2 position against Keita. It was a clash of similar styles: both players rely on their superb power, but Knezkova weared down Keita as the match endured.

In the eighth game of the first set, Knezkova got Keita out of position with a serve, waited patiently to strike, and delivered a cutting shot past Keita. Knezkova turned to Limam, who was watching intently to her right, and raised both of her fists in celebration.

After a brief stoppage due to the lights dimming in the arena, the Orange continued their dominance. Knezkova claimed the second singles point for the Orange, winning 6-3, 6-0.

Krishnan faced off against SU’s Sysoeva in the No. 3 slot and rode a wave of momentum from start to finish. Krishnan’s serving gave Sysoeva trouble all match and she capitalized of Sysoeva’s miscues, to win 6-4, 6-2.

Kimoto’s match quickly became the main attraction of the day. Battling against Allami, one of the most highly touted freshmen in the country, Kimoto fell behind early after Allami displayed her power on a couple of key returns and took the first set, 6-4.

The second set was a different story. Kimoto’s savviness and patience took over, and the emotion on her face was visible after Allami’s return ended up short of the net in the final game of the set.

In the decisive third-set tiebreak, Kimoto came through for the Orange. The score was knotted at 4-4, then Kimoto pulled ahead. Allami double-faulted on a serve, and Kimoto prevailed 6-4.

“We had a little bit of adversity with the lights, with the momentum changing a little bit, but super proud of the team, how they stayed resilient and really focused all the way through it,” Limam said.

Monika Wojcik and Ito continued their strong singles play, picking up victories in their matches.

As the Orange enter the gauntlet of ACC play, Sunday’s victory was another step forward. Wojcik is confident that the team is well-equipped to handle the challenge.

“It’s really exciting. The ACC is one of the best conferences. We’re gonna start off right away with UNC and Duke,” Wojcik said. “We have nothing to lose, we’re just gonna go for it.”

Published on February 16, 2025 at 6:30 pm