Saeed's leadership and skills at forefront of women's tennis team

Heading into her final tennis season at Tufts, senior co-captain Iffy Saeed aims to achieve her career-long goal of competing at Nationals. She expressed confidence and pride in her team, which is coming off an undefeated regular fall season and second-place finish at New England's, where the Jumbos edged out rival Williams College.

"We know that this is the year for us to go to Nationals" Saeed said. "New England's showed us that not only can we compete with some of the best teams in the nation, but can beat them."

Saeed explained that the squad has come close to the national tournament in the past, but as a member of the highly competitive NESCAC League, has narrowly missed several times because only two teams from each league can go. The Jumbos' rivalry with Amherst and Williams is intense, and Saeed said beating those teams "is always a goal."

With meets scheduled against both schools, the Jumbos' upcoming competition will be tougher than that faced during the fall. Saeed feels prepared, though, due to off-season training motivated by the fall's success.

"Coming off a great season, I know how much everyone wants this," Saeed said. "I've been lifting and I work out everyday. At practice we do a lot of conditioning, and we've been playing as much as we can."

Saeed helped to organize a team trip to Miami over spring break.

"[We] played for hours everyday," Saeed said. "It was great to be playing so much and to be together as a team."

Enthusiasm for her team and for the game itself is a quality noted by those around Saeed on the tennis court.

"I think Iffy does a really good job of motivating people," said senior co-captain Katie Nordstrom. "She's really good at getting everyone pumped up and excited to play."

Nordstrom further described Saeed as a role model of consistently strong play and "mental toughness."

"It's nice for everyone to see how Iffy's so poised on the court. She goes up against really talented players and does well against them," Nordstrom said. "She rarely has an off-day, and I love watching her matches because she's a very aggressive player and she always has great points against her opponent."

According to Nordstrom, Saeed's leadership on the team goes beyond the example she sets on the court.

"She always listens to what everyone has to say and wants to make sure that everyone feels comfortable on the team and is getting what they want out of it," Nordstrom said.

Besides contributing to the team as a leader, Saeed brings her pure tennis skill, which has been an integral component to the Jumbos' success during her career. Playing singles, she has accrued a career record of 47-9.

Last fall, Saeed played at sixth singles and third doubles. She and partner Emily Warshauer fell to Amherst in the finals of the New England tournament, but went undefeated in the regular season, finishing at 6-1. Saeed said that she is proud of her success playing doubles, since she never did so in high school. She credited coach Jim Watson with the vast improvements she has made since her freshman year.

"He's transformed my game into such a higher level of tennis," Saeed said.

In singles, Saeed capped a perfect season (12-0) when she prevailed over her Williams opponent in the finals at New England's. She described that victory as one of her best tennis moments ever, for the camaraderie she felt with her fellow Jumbos at the time.

"Four of us were playing in the finals at the same time," Saeed said. "I could look down the courts and there were my best friends playing on the courts next to me, and it was just the best feeling in the world. We'd worked together for something that we wanted so bad, and it was great to see what we'd worked so hard for actually happening."

Saeed said that she is proud of the bond she shares with her teammates. Their close friendships provide constant motivation when she plays, as well as in the off-season.

"When I'm on the court, it makes me want to win so much more because it's not just for myself, but for the girls," Saeed said.

Saeed is also driven by her competitive nature. Competitive tennis is something that Saeed grew up with. Her entire family plays, and there is even a tennis court in the backyard of her Lynnfield, MA home. She began playing when she was five and started entering US Tennis Association tournaments soon thereafter.

In high school, Saeed captained a team that won three consecutive state championships. She believes her current goals stem from those earlier experiences.

"I wanted to excel even more," Saeed said. "Nationals is the highest thing you can achieve, and that's what I've been working towards in these four years at Tufts."

Saeed expressed confidence in her team's ability to achieve its national goals this season, and even to make a bid for first-place.

"We have so much depth, and we've gotten so much better," she said. "It's so much more realistic to win Nationals this year."

Nordstrom expressed similar confidence in her co-captain's ability to continue excelling as a leader and player during her final season.

"Iffy's so mentally tough and is so consistent with her game," Nordstrom said. "She is definitely one of the players who we can count on to win."