Syracuse tennis tops Buffalo 6-1 in final nonconference matchup
Syracuse topped Buffalo 6-1 in its final nonconference game Thursday. The Orange begin conference play on Feb. 20, with a 4-3 record. Peter Radosh | Asst. Copy Editor
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Facing off against another conference champion proved not to be a problem for Syracuse. Buffalo won the Mid-American Conference Tournament after a 20-8 2025 campaign and started this season 9-0.
On Thursday, though, SU (4-3, Atlantic Coast) prevailed 6-1, claiming its second straight win while handing the Bulls (9-1, MAC) their first loss to round out conference play.
The Orange were again without senior Anastasia Sysoeva, but it didn’t matter, as they took the doubles point and carried that momentum into singles play. With Sysoeva out, Serafima Shastova and Monika Wojcik were tasked with taking on Buffalo’s Esmee Andresen and Maria Glowacka, who entered Thursday undefeated in doubles play.
Shastova and Wojcik did more than just rise to the occasion. They quickly handled the first game and never looked back, sweeping the Bulls’ stars in under 20 minutes.
“I think everyone is handling adversity extremely well,” SU head coach Younes Limam said. “They believe that, whoever they put in, they’re going to do the best that they can do.”
Nelly Knezkova and Emma Scaldalai played at the No. 3 position, where they took on Sarah Hartel and Julia Laspro. The Orange started slow, going down 1-2 after a ball that was heading out of bounds struck Scaldalai in the foot, resulting in a point for Buffalo.
But they weren’t down for long, as Knezkova and Scaldalai won five of the next seven games to win the set 6-4 and the doubles point for the Orange. The Bulls avoided a sweep, with Blanca Berges and Liv Roestel’s 6-2 victory over Syracuse’s Leena Bennetto and Constance Levivier.
As the singles matches got underway, Buffalo was still in a position to strike a comeback. Knezkova took a 3-0 lead over Glowacka. As Knezkova got more comfortable, she tried a drop shot that barely missed the net. Although the set went back and forth, Knezkova took it 6-3.
Bennetto quickly dismissed her loss in doubles by winning her first set dominantly at 6-1. On the other court, Levivier struggled and quickly went down 5-1. Slowly but surely, in a set-of-the-year candidate, Levivier rallied and won five straight games, taking a 6-5 lead before her opponent forced a tiebreaker.
After back-to-back overheads to tie it at three, Levivier went up 6-3, one point from victory. The final rally was lengthy, but as her opponent hit a lofty shot that landed out of play, Levivier celebrated her comeback.
“It’s never easy to be down 5-1 and come back from that deficit,” Limam said. “(She) showed a lot of maturity, a lot of resilience.”
In her second set, Knezkova didn’t give an inch of room to Buffalo’s second option, Glowacka. She handily won 6-1, with Shastova winning her match 6-3 shortly after to put the Orange up 3-0 and within reach of victory.
Buffalo didn’t go away without a fight. Liv Rostel took down Scaldalai in two sets to put the Bulls on the scoreboard, winning 6-3, 6-4.
Their hope wouldn’t last long. After her dramatic comeback win in the first set, Levivier dominated her second set with a 6-0 sweep, winning the match for the Orange.
In a battle, Wojcik was able to scrape by Julia Laspro with a 7-5, 7-5 win. The match was tense, with both players yelling after each point. However, it was Wojcik’s that secured the victory.
Finally, Bennetto rounded out the evening. After winning the first set 6-1, she found herself in a dogfight second set. With her back against the wall, she forced a tiebreaker, eventually losing 7-6. With Syracuse already victorious, Bennetto’s third set — which she won — was shortened.
“I love the fact that we’ve been tested,” Limam said.
