At once, the three sophomore stalwarts of the Syracuse University tennis team are both the cornerstones of a master plan and the guinea pigs of a grand experiment – Luke Jensen’s scheme to save American tennis.

Of course, they understand this, Simone Kalhorn, Christina Tan and Jacquelynn Tang. They know their role, how important they are to this team’s present and future.

They signed up for this, for the daily practices at 6:30 a.m., for the 100 push-ups that start each morning and for the yelling and the music blaring through Drumlins Tennis Club. For an overhaul of their games in favor a more assertive style.

‘It’s not, like, new to us,’ Tan said. ‘We don’t feel the pressure.’

The sophomores will again lead the Orange (3-0), as the team heads into year three of Luke Jensen’s dream. As incoming freshmen, they were ranked the 17th best class in the nation by the Tennis Recruiting Network. They learned on the fly last year, the team’s fate tethered to their play. Tan nabbed the team’s No. 1 singles slot and served as captain. Kalhorn and Tang played doubles together for the better part of last year.

Still, the Orange struggled. None of the three freshmen had a winning record. The team finished 11-14. During one stretch, it lost seven matches in a row.

This time around, that sort of effort won’t be enough.

‘Last year was about the learning curve,’ said Jensen, SU’s head coach. ‘And now it’s time to produce.’

Early one morning last week, as production time neared, Tan, Tang and junior Ashley Spicer ripped through extra serves and forehand smashes after practice. Spicer transferred from Washington State University before last season, buying into her new coach’s radical program. Tennis balls floated out of a machine, only to be smashed down – a reflection of Jensen’s forceful on-court philosophy, the one he preaches daily to his team.

These sophomores were the first to buy into that.

‘They’re really kind of the core,’ Jensen said, ‘because they’re teaching the young kids, and they’re also supporting the upperclassmen.’

And they’re Jensen’s first building block at SU. In 1993, Jensen won the French Open doubles championship with his brother, Murphy. He bounced around after he retired, doing color commentary with ESPN and searching for a new outlet, a way to save the sport he loved in his home country.

He settled on Syracuse.

Jensen arrived in 2006, touting his Grand Slam title and a plan to build Grand Slam titlists. Attrition followed. Only one player from that 2007 team (junior Chelsea Jones) remains with the program. Jensen offered a sea change from the days of former coach Mac Gifford. And it was more than just extra conditioning, amped-up intensity and a policy of doing push-ups – right there, on the court – if your serve was broken during a match.

He needed players who wanted more than college glory, players who would risk revamping their playing style in order to go pro.

He found that in his first recruiting class.

‘Everybody here is on the same page,’ Tang said. ‘We all have one goal in mind. And it’s not only to win Big East titles, NCAA titles, but our ultimate goal is to win a Grand Slam title.’

To go from prep to pro, Jensen preaches, requires fresh tactics.

Most women’s tennis, even at the pro level, is played from the baseline. Players stand back and trade blows, rarely charging in. Jensen wanted more. He wanted his team to play like male pros, charging the net, attacking, dictating the match’s pace with heavy serves – a team equipped with a full arsenal of shots, from feather to hammer.

‘When you’re up at the net and they’re at the baseline, we have more options than they do,’ Tang said.

In theory, that makes sense. In practice? Well, the process takes time.

The team learned on the fly. The players would rush the net and return-shots would rush right past. ‘It takes a lot of patience,’ Tan said. ‘Especially if it’s not something you’re really used to.’

Youth showed last season – the Orange flopped under pressure. The team had ‘confidence issues,’ Jensen said.

That won’t be the case this year, all involved parties insist.

Yes, because now, they all have more experience under their belts. Jensen has developed as a coach. The underclassmen have developed as leaders. Time management is less of problem – they know when to cram in their five miles of running, when to schedule their extra practices and private lessons.

‘I’m doing a lot better this year,’ Kalhorn said. She laughed. ‘I’m not, like, a walking zombie.’

During practice, competition reigns. The team welcomes it. They practice in the chilly Drumlins Tennis Center, where talent counts for more than seniority. They play a round-robin to decide who plays where. Emily Harman, a freshman who won five West Virginia state titles, will play No.1 singles. Tan will play No. 2 singles and partner with Harman on the No. 1 doubles squad. (Tan’s former doubles partner from the majority of last season, Maria Vasilyeva, left the team).

Jensen differentiates between improvement and development. If you play enough tennis, if you practice enough, sure, you’ll improve. But if you change your game, if you add elements, you can develop. You can move to the next level.

This season, his sophomores must do both.

‘There are no more moral victories,’ Jensen said. ‘There are only victories. And that’s only what we’re going to accept. I think they accept the challenge. And that’s what I want.’

ramccull@syr.edu

Published on January 26, 2009 at 12:00 pm