Top doubles team thrived in fall despite inexperience together

In recent history, Tufts women's tennis has been better known for its strong singles than its doubles play. Over the past two seasons, however, that has not necessarily been the case. The Jumbos steamrolled their doubles opponents in the fall, amassing a combined 20-4 record, helping the team go 8-0 overall and earn the status of the nation's third best squad.

The "Jen Squared" duo of junior Jen Lejb and freshman Jen Luten stepped up and assumed the role of number one, going 5-1 in the fall, with their lone record blemish coming in a tough match against the Middlebury Panthers. The 5-1 mark is particularly impressive because the two had no experience together prior to the fall season.

"The team of Jen and Jen is very solid," coach Jim Watson said. "They're continuing to gel and get better and better, and I'm looking forward to good things for them."

The number two team for the Jumbos will likely consist of senior captain Barclay Gang and junior Neda Pisheva. The duo has been playing together for the past two and a half years, and has accumulated a 16-8 record over that span. The pair went 2-2 in the fall, earning easy wins over Colby and Trinity, while falling to Middlebury and Bowdoin.

"They've been sort of up and down recently," Watson said. "They blend very well together, but they have to continue to be more aggressive and move more at the net to cut off volleys. Once they realize that, they'll be very solid. They're both excellent off the ground, but at this level of doubles, you have to close the net off."

While the first two slots are relatively cemented, the number three team is still up in the air. The top three candidates for the two spots are sophomores Becky Bram and Lisa Miller, and freshman Kylyn Deary. The sophomore tandem occupied the spot for the majority of the fall season, going 4-0 together, but Deary is also a talented doubles player, making Watson's decision more difficult.

"Indirectly, Deary's paying her dues because someone has to sit out and Lisa and Becky didn't play doubles last year, but we're coming into the real meat of the schedule and I need to put all feelings aside and make a decision," Watson said. "One of them is probably going to hate me by the end of the season, but I have to do what is best for the team."

A big part of doubles play, especially at the college level, is team chemistry. Two good singles players don't necessarily make an outstanding doubles team. Communication and understanding between partners are almost as important as sheer skill. This fact will play a large factor in Watson's decision.

"It has a lot to do with chemistry," he said. "And this is what I'm still in the process of feeling out."