CARY, N.C. – In a rematch of one of Syracuse's most-exciting contests of the season, the nationally-ranked No. 64 Orange tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 42 Florida State in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Tennis Championship at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.
Freshman Valeria Salazar won Syracuse's only point, a straight-set 6-2, 6-4 victory at fourth singles against Danny Schippers which pulled SU within 2-1 at the time. Overall, Salazar won five of her last six matches to finish the season.
The Orange (5-15) entered the singles portion of the match trailing 1-0 after Florida State (15-11) took the point by winning on the first and second courts. Salazar and partner senior Maddie Kobelt, the 45th-ranked doubles team in the nation, held a 6-4 lead on the first court, but dropped the last four points to lose to 44th-ranked Kerrie Cartwright and Daneika Borthwick.
Syracuse, however, came out firing on all cylinders in the singles competition, holding on to win the first set in four-of-six matches to put itself in a good position to upset the Seminoles for the second time this season. Kobelt built up an early lead and won the first set 6-2 against No. 123 Cartwright on the first court. The freshmen trio of Salazar, Rhiann Newborn and Maria Avgerinos also won their first sets at fourth, third and fifth courts, respectively. Salazar and Avgerinos won 6-2 while Newborn was a 6-3 winner.
The momentum unfortunately did not carry over to the second set, though, as Florida State won all six to come out on top in the end. The Seminoles took a 2-0 lead in the match following a victory at the second spot before Salazar cut the deficit in half. Florida State then added another win on the sixth court and Cartwright closed out the match with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 three-set tiebreak triumph against Kobelt. When the match ended Newborn was ahead 1-0 in the third set, while Avgerinos was trailing 3-0.
