Though Syracuse’s second match of the season started differently than its first, the result was the same.

The No. 68 Orange (2-0) took the doubles point for the first time this season as it triumphed 5-2 over No. 39 South Florida (0-1). SU’s doubles tandems of sophomore Valeria Salazar and senior Komal Safdar and senior Amanda Rodgers and sophomore Rhiann Newborn topped their opposition 6-2 and 6-3, respectively.

Syracuse continued its good hitting in the singles portion of the match.

Safdar and senior Breanna Bachini opened up a 3-0 lead for the Orange as they took down their opponents 6-1, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-3, respectively.

The Bulls slowed the Orange’s roll when USF’s Olga Martinez defeated Salazar, 3-6, 1-6.

However, Syracuse freshman Nicole Mitchell bounced back from a 0-6 loss in the first match of the season against Florida Gulf Coast to clinch the USF match for Syracuse. Mitchell defeated USF’s Alicia Robinson 6-2, 6-2 to complete the Floridian sweep of FGCU and the Bulls in the Orange’s opening weekend of play.

Though the match was technically over, Newborn picked up a win for Syracuse as she defeated Vera Bessonova 7-6 (7-5 tiebreak), 6-1.

In the final match, Rodgers dropped 2-6, 5-7 to South Florida’s Olaya Garrido-Rivas.

The Orange next faces No. 8 Alabama on the road on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m.

Compiled by Sam Fortier, staff writer, sjfortie@syr.edu.

Published on January 10, 2015 at 10:22 pm

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR