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After the Orange were ravaged by injuries down the stretch in 2023, SU head coach Younes Limam made acquiring new players a priority for 2024. Two of the players Limam added were freshman Constance Levivier and sophomore Emilie Elde.

Despite joining SU in January and not practicing with the team throughout the offseason, the pair made their Syracuse debut against St. Bonaventure on Saturday. With Levivier and Elde stepping into the lineup, Syracuse rested key players like Miyka Kimoto, an advantage Syracuse did not have last season.

“It’s never easy… but I thought they handled the occasion extremely well… it’s never easy to take two new players and add them to your roster in January, but we’re very fortunate… they made it look easy,” Limam said postgame.

The performances of Levivier and Elde helped Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) maintain its perfect record Saturday against St. Bonaventure (1-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10). Despite being added to the Orange’s roster this week, Levivier and Elde had strong first outings that bode well for the rest of Syracuse’s season.

Levivier was paired with junior Miyuka Kimoto in the No. 1 doubles slot to begin her collegiate career. The duo worked well together — taking down St. Bonaventure’s Anastasia Gubanova and Isabella Venter 6-2. Levivier dominated near the net, with her lanky frame allowing her to quickly dispel any threat. Despite it being their first time playing together, Kimoto and Levivier’s chemistry was on full display.

“(Levivier) played very well today… we played good together,” Kimoto said postgame.

Elde was partnered with senior Ines Fonte, facing the St. Bonaventure tandem of Sienna Smith and Abbie Tyler. With Fonte’s athleticism and Elde’s powerful swing, SU took the set 6-1.

Singles provided more of a challenge for Elde. Put in the No. 3 role, Elde played against Venter, falling behind early. Her 5-2 deficit was quickly erased and frustration began to creep in for Venter. As the game progressed to 6-6, Elde’s quiet and composed demeanor was a stark contrast to Venter’s emotive style of play. A tiebreaker saw Venter take the first set 7-6, but from there, Elde took control.

After the set ended, Elde and Limam huddled together, discussing her next steps.

“(I was) just trying to keep her positive… trying to get her to stick to what she does well,” Limam said.

The talk worked. Elde took a 4-2 lead while Venter fell apart — shouting at her coaches after every lost game. After she won the second set 6-2, the match entered a final tiebreaker. With both sides tired and all eyes on the sophomore, Elde won the tiebreaker and secured the 7-0 sweep for the Orange.

Levivier, however, had a much easier time. The freshman played in the No. 6 singles spot against Kashish Bote. Levivier took the first set quickly, winning 6-0. She continued her dominance in the second set, winning 6-1.

“It’s a long season and we’re just getting started… (now) we have a very deep team and a lot of our players can step up at any time.”

Published on January 27, 2024 at 3:22 pm