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After Miami’s Alexa Noel won the NCAA Division I Individual Championship last year, she wasn’t sure if she’d return to Miami as a graduate student. Recently, she made the decision to join the Hurricanes for one final year.

Still, Noel couldn’t suit up until today as she was waiting to be granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA, a Miami spokesman told the ACC Network. Friday afternoon, she made her season debut for the Hurricanes in epic fashion.

The graduate student was an immediate difference maker and propelled Miami (2-4, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) to a 4-3 victory over Syracuse (7-3, 0-3 Atlantic Coast). The Orange were no match for the former ACC Player of the Year, as Noel won in No. 1 singles by storming back from a 5-0 second-set deficit and won in No. 2 doubles.

In No. 2 doubles, Syracuse’s Anastasia Sysoeva and Shiori Ito squared off against Noel and Miami freshman Maria Paula Vargas. Noel brought a 49-20 career doubles record into the contest.

Noel fueled the Hurricanes duo’s early 2-0 advantage. Following an Anastasia Sysoeva ace, Syracuse’s pairing seemed to be gaining momentum, trimming the lead to 3-1.

But Noel’s combination of backhands and volleys eventually caught the Orange off-guard. With the seventh game knotted at 15-15, Syracuse failed to return Miami’s towering serve. Noel raised her fist high, screaming “Point!”

After a Noel forehand ricocheted off the net and back to her, SU was within striking distance and down 5-3.

The Orange’s No. 2 duo was on the verge of cutting the Hurricanes lead to just one after Noel’s shot barely scratched the net and gave them a 30-15. However, that’s where Syracuse’s run came to a screeching halt.

As Ito and Sysoeva retreated towards the baseline, Noel’s volley dropped directly in a service box and completely fooled SU and won the match for Miami. The win marked the 50th career doubles victory for Noel and leveled the meet score at 1-1.

“(Playing against Noel) was fun, as I’ve seen her play a few years ago,” Sysoeva said. “I think we battled, and it was pretty close in some games.”

Despite the Hurricanes abysmal 12-26 singles record this spring, Noel is 92-19 in singles throughout her career. Her singles experience would immediately reap benefits for a struggling Miami team.

In No. 1 singles against SU’s Miyuka Kimoto, it was all Noel early. Tied at 40 apiece with Miami up 2-0 in the set, Kimoto’s shot hit the net, giving the Hurricanes the point.

While Noel took a commanding 40-0 lead in the fourth game, Kimoto began to control her power better and cut the deficit to 40-30. The mini comeback didn’t last long and an ace by Noel extended her lead to 4-0.

Noel capitalized on errant Kimoto returns to complete the 6-0 first set sweep of Kimoto.

Unlike the first set, Kimoto let the game come to her more often in the second. Already up 2-0, Kimoto responded to Noel’s backhand with an ace off a well-timed volley to put her up 15-0.

In the fifth game, Noel’s shots were off the mark, allowing Kimoto’s dominance to continue with another point, making it look like the match was headed to a third set.

Down 5-0, Noel’s face was glued toward Kimoto’s racket motion. The graduate student, in a firing stance, observed her surroundings and saw Kimoto’s forehand fly way over the baseline to give her a point.

Noel stormed all the way back to level the score at 5-5 in the second set. Noel didn’t stop there, taking her first lead of the set at 6-5.

The high-caliber player ended it from there. Kimoto fired a return into the net, giving Noel an improbable comeback straight set victory.

Published on February 28, 2025 at 10:44 pm

sabrod@syr.edu