Syracuse tennis coach Mac Gifford couldn’t resist.

With the team headed to Boca Raton, Fla., for Spring Break, Gifford — with a smile on his face — let his team know that Florida would not be all fun and games.

‘I can work you guys for as many hours as I want,’ Gifford told his team.

Sophomore Alexa Konstand heard this comment from the far court and smiled.

The atmosphere at practice was light and cheerful as the Orangewomen (5-4, 3-1 Big East) prepared to head off to sunny skies and beautiful beaches, along with good competition. SU will play Miami of Ohio (6-4), Florida Atlantic (5-4) and Florida International (8-3). But first the Orangewomen host Minnesota (5-3) on Friday and Maryland (5-3) on Saturday at Drumlins Tennis Center.

The trip will provide an opportunity to play non-conference teams that wouldn’t normally appear on the Orangewomen’s schedule.

‘I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with the girls without having the stress of school,’ assistant coach Marni Nordstrom said. ‘The weather will make them more relaxed, and we’ll have the opportunity to have their undivided attention. Spring Break we’re not playing (conference) games, so we’ll have a chance to try new things.’

The Orangewomen will try those things against players they’ve never seen before. Especially No. 1 singles player Masha Kabanova, who won her 100th match at SU last week.

Kabanova will face Florida Atlantic freshman Alena Dvorakova, Florida International senior Anneliese Rose and Miami senior Kadija Richards, all of whom have enjoyed successful seasons.

Dvorakova has compiled a 5-1 record at No. 1 singles and has won 12 of 16 matches overall. Rose and Richards have racked up more than 10 wins apiece this year.

‘Those girls are going to be a tough match,’ Kabanova said. ‘But I’m going to adjust to it.’

Syracuse didn’t adjust particularly well in its last outing. SU fell to Yale, 7-0. However, the loss didn’t affect the team’s mentality, Konstand said.

‘We knew we were up against a tough team, and we really tried our best,’ Konstand said. ‘We have to regroup and come out and know we can play well again.’

That, the Orangewomen hope, will start against Minnesota and Maryland.

‘I know they are going to be tough, and they’re going to play good tennis,’ Gifford said. ‘I want this team to get the experience and fight really hard. They need to understand that they can match up with these teams.’

Published on March 6, 2002 at 12:00 pm