Syracuse tennis coach Mac Gifford summed up his team’s Easter Sunday match in a short declarative statement.

‘It just kept getting weirder and weirder,’ Gifford said.

What started out as a sunny day in Morgantown, W.Va., quickly became inhospitable as rain allowed only four singles matches to be played outside. With no alternate indoor court in the area, the teams turned to a line judge who owns a complex an hour away in Petersburg, Pa.

When the teams arrived at Petersburg Tennis Center, the key to the revolving doors broke. They entered half an hour later through a back entrance only to find the electricity turned off.

Finally, at 4 p.m., with the electricity on and both teams warmed up, the Orangewomen finished their match. Syracuse (6-10, 5-2 Big East) defeated West Virginia, 4-0, to improve its postseason chances and knock the Mountaineers (3-11, 0-4) out of playoff contention.

‘West Virginia only had five players because of injures,’ Gifford said. ‘I’ve finally found a team that is as banged up as we are.’

Gifford had trouble making his lineup because Jessica Schlosser suffered from a shoulder problem throughout the weekend. Schlosser played anyway, and Syracuse benefited from matching up against a team whose season was on the line.

‘It was a good match for us because we played against a team that needed to win,’ Gifford said. ‘They had their backs against the wall and came out swinging.’

With several Europeans, SU benefited from the clay courts in Petersburg because clay remains the standard in tennis abroad.

‘We’re used to it, and we all know how to play on clay,’ Masha Kabanova said.

The win snapped a seven-match losing streak for the Orangewomen, who fell, 6-1, to Virginia Tech (11-6, 4-1) on Saturday. Virginia Tech and Miami (11-3, 2-0) remain the two teams to beat in the Big East entering the final week and a half of the regular season. Syracuse returns to the court against Army on Saturday.

The schedule that SU has played, which matched the team against Top 25 opponents Maryland and Florida Atlantic, has prepared Syracuse well, Gifford said.

‘I’ve seen so much improvement in this team,’ assistant coach Marni Nordstrom said. ‘Virginia Tech is one of those teams that we could upset in the playoffs.’

Against the Hokies, Shervin Saedinia survived a marathon match against Meredith Vincent in No. 3 singles. They split the first two sets before Saedinia closed out the final set, 12-10.

‘Mentally, we’ve improved our toughness,’ Gifford said. ‘We’re going to be up to play Army.’

Published on April 2, 2002 at 12:00 pm