Luke Jensen stood in the middle of Drumlins Tennis Center clad in his gray Syracuse sweatsuit and bright orange kicks with the traditional No. 44 on the sides. The Syracuse alma mater instrumental played in the background. Three courts away, a large group of SU fans milled about a spread of orange foods – Cheese Nips, Goldfish, orange candies – as the players gathered their things.

Minutes earlier, co-captain Christina Tan was finishing off her opponent from Rutgers to make the final score of her match 7-0 on Jan. 31. The team’s call-and-response cheer of ‘Go ‘Cuse! Go Orange!’ reverberated through the building during almost every point. Orange pride became so infectious that Otto was high-fived by Rutgers fans.

That is the atmosphere head coach Jensen created. The team and the school come first.

‘It’s the cornerstone of what we’re all about,’ Jensen said. ‘It starts with the attitude, it starts with the culture. I brought my personal experience, how I competed as a professional tennis player, as a college player, even as a junior player. It really comes down to, like anything in life, you’ve got to have a winning attitude.’

Jensen and the Orange will bring that attitude with them this weekend against Columbia in New York Friday at 5 p.m. and against Princeton Sunday in Princeton, N.J., at 11 a.m.

Since joining the Orange four years ago, he has pushed the idea of ‘team’ on players who are used to an individual sport. Yet he said that he did not teach a positive attitude, but that he had recruited players who already possessed it. He simply reinforces it by refusing to let negativity into practices or matches. In three-plus years with the Orange, Jensen has gone 43-31, still building his squad up here at Syracuse.

Co-captain Simone Kalhorn said that practicing like they play has a lot to do with the team’s ability to exude high-energy regardless of the situation. Players are not allowed to throw their rackets during matches, nor can they throw fits. Jensen will pull them off the court. Other schools don’t have this policy, which gives Syracuse the upper hand, he said.

‘We’re the best at (keeping a positive attitude),’ Jensen said. ‘We really strive for that. These are things we can control: our attitude and our fitness. In those two things, we have to be the best in the country.’

Tan and Kalhorn agreed that there is really no competition in this area. They feel that at away matches, their school spirit helps keep them remain focused and competitive.

‘Even when we’re away and they’re at home, we overwhelm them,’ Kalhorn said. ‘We went to Michigan, and during the warm-up they were trying to compete with us cheering-wise, but they were so worn-out by the end of it.’

Marion Nies, Drumlins’ membership services coordinator, has the nickname ‘Orange 11.’ Last year she was the equivalent of the 11th member of the team. Nies said that she has noticed an increase in team pride over the past few years. She believes that the shift has come down from the top and has shown up in the players.

The advent of ‘Go ‘Cuse! Go Orange!’ three years ago, the team’s bread-and-butter cheer, is a manifestation of this shift.

‘We were at Dartmouth and we were trying to come up with a cheer because every other team was cheering and we didn’t know what to say,’ Tan said. ‘We started yelling, ”Cuse,’ and people starting responding, ‘Orange,’ and we just ended up going back and forth.’

Over the past three years, the team has developed into a lively and spirited group. The player-positive outlook has been fruitful thus far as they go into the weekend with a 5-1 record.

‘When you’re on one court and your teammate is six courts down on the other side of the building, I want to hear you,’ Jensen said. ‘I want that teammate to know that you are still fighting and you are still scrapping and clawing for victory. Even if you may be losing the match, your spirit still needs to be there because every point is so vital. The way we fight and compete as a team, ‘Go ‘Cuse! Go Orange’ is our fighting call.’

alguggen@syr.edu