Alessondra Parra’s first match of the season went all wrong.

In her first weekend as Syracuse’s No. 1 singles player, she struggled against the top player on each opposing team. No longer facing the No. 2 or No. 3 player meant no longer winning, either.

Three matches. Three losses.

‘The competition has gotten better,’ Parra said. ‘As the top singles player, as opposed to being in the middle of the lineup, I expected that.’

Parra recorded 4-2 and 5-1 records at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles positions last season, going undefeated in Big East play. She dropped her season opener Friday to Navy’s Amanda Griffin 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-3). She couldn’t handle Maryland’s Jordaan Sanford on Saturday, falling 6-2, 6-4. And Sunday, Parra fell for the third consecutive match, this time to Georgetown’s Stephanie Wetmore, 6-4, 6-1.

Despite her losses, the Orange managed to win two of the three matches on the weekend. And Parra is still adamant her confidence level is fine, even though she hasn’t won.

‘I always go into the match thinking I’m the better player,’ Parra said. ‘That really doesn’t matter who I’m playing against.’

Though she may be mentally prepared, the Vienna, Va., native has some work to do on the court. The rest of her teammates picked her up this weekend, dominating the lower-ranked matches against both Navy and Georgetown.

‘I didn’t pull out any of the matches this weekend, but I really have to give a lot of credit to my team here,’ Parra said.

If Parra wants to start winning matches against top-notch talent, SU head coach Luke Jensen said she needs to train harder, practice harder and compete harder.

‘Right now she’s too inconsistent,’ Jensen said. ‘She plays a good point, two bad points, three good points, two bad points. It’s just all over the map. We’ll work on that though. We’ll get that better.’

Jensen and his team know that though these matches are important, the experience and training mean more than the actual victory. The team’s goal is to peak for championship season.

That is why Parra isn’t discouraged by her 0-3 start. Her teammate and doubles partner Simone Kalhorn has seen this first hand.

‘She’s always fired up to play and a really good competitor,’ Kalhorn said. ‘I can always count on her to be consistent with her attitude.’

Jensen is adamant about using Parra’s shaky first weekend as a learning opportunity. The coach taped her match with Wetmore on Sunday, and the pair plans to break down the film during the week.

Parra will need all the help she can get, as there will be no easy matches being the No. 1 singles player. Almost every team has at least one star player. Every singles match will be a challenge for Parra.

Parra also has the challenge of protecting her position on the squad.

‘If I want to stay at No. 1, not only do I have to compete against my teammates to keep that position, but I need to look ahead and anticipate some tough competition,’ Parra said. ‘Not just in the weeks ahead, but in Big East’s and NCAA’s.’

It’s ironic the teammates gunning for her spot are the same friends with whom she spends all her free time. But Parra also knows that to make a run in the Big East tournament, she can’t do it alone.

Both Parra and Jensen said that to win the tournament, they need all eight point-scorers to be at the top of their games.

The tail end of the lineup did its job this weekend, and SU managed to take two of three matches. Next weekend is a chance for Parra to do hers. Jensen knows she is up to the challenge.

‘When I look at her overall performance from the weekend, it’s easy to look in the loss column and say ‘What’s going on here?” Jensen said. ‘I see more than that. I see a person who’s got to get better, is willing to do the extra things to get better.’

sebail01@syr.edu

 

Published on January 30, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1