Coming off a four-game losing streak, Syracuse tennis head coach Luke Jensen is taking his team to Tampa, Fla., for what he calls ‘Camp Hell.’

Jensen’s sub-.500 team will use the time for ‘spring hardcore training’ to refine the basics of Syracuse’s game in order to refresh for its final matches of the season.

Syracuse (6-8, 4-2) will practice in Tampa during its 12-day match hiatus before facing Central Florida March 14 and South Florida March 16.

The Orange will split practice time between high school courts, public facilities and college courses while it’s in Florida and will be living in condos together.

Jensen said he plans on focusing on every aspect of SU’s game on the court and to focus on the team’s effort and attitude. The team will still run five miles every day and continue its strength and conditioning training while away from Syracuse.

Many practices will consist of drills that focus on the simple aspects – groundstrokes, volleys and the backhand and forehand strokes – instead of practice matches or sets. Jensen is more concerned about his team’s small mistakes, which lead to bigger ones in a match.

Execution has been something Jensen has been preaching to his team, so during ‘Camp Hell,’ if anyone fails to execute a shot they have to do sprints. If they miss two shots, there is a longer sprint as a consequence.

‘We are going to work on our weaknesses in order to get better,’ Jensen said. ‘Everyone has their own little areas they need to fix, and we are going to work on them and fix them this week.’

Sophomore Ashley Spicer, a transfer from Washington State, realizes major differences between the programs since she arrived at Syracuse and how the two teams handle Spring Break backs up her argument.

At Washington State, she played a match against Alabama during Spring Break, and at Syracuse she will take place in ‘Camp Hell,’ a week of rigorous training.

‘It’s going to be really tough, but it’s going to make us better, and I’m excited for that,’ Spicer said. ‘We’re in the middle of our season, so a hiatus like this is a great chance to take what we have done so far and have the time to see what we need to work on and have the time to apply that in our practice.’

Spicer said the break from doubleheader matches every weekend will give the Orange a chance to rest up and fine tune its skills. She said it is important to work on the basics before the team can build off that to become better.

Chelsea Jones and Maria Vasilyeva are the only two players who were on the roster last year, however, last year Jensen did not have a ‘Camp Hell.’ Instead, Syracuse played a three-day scrimmage match against Indiana.

‘We’re going to be working hard this week, but in the sun,’ Jones said. ‘At least our runs will be on the beach for now. We are going to refine our ground strokes and work on consistency. That is definitely something I need help with in my own game, consistency.’

Jones said sacrificing social time is important this time of the semester because of the mental drain of midterms, and then next week which, will drain the team physically.

‘This week is really going to help us improve for our game against South Florida, who is a much better team than any team we have faced before,’ Jones said. ‘Everything we have been doing lately we need to multiply by 10 for this fourth quarter of the season so we can compete with South Florida and Notre Dame.’

Syracuse will return to its home court March 23 for the first time since beginning a seven-game road tour at Connecticut.

‘We are getting away from the school work, the season, and it’s just a week all about getting better and emphasizing what we need to do to get better,’ Jensen said. ‘We’re not getting away from our issue of being in a four-game losing streak and not being consistent. We are actually attacking that, and the emphasis of ‘Camp Hell’ is you put yourself through that training to get better and if you put the effort in you will be prepared for the bigger matches.’

mkgalant@syr.edu

Published on March 5, 2008 at 12:00 pm