Often times, it takes a less than perfect situation to create the best story. For better or worse, that was certainly the case for the 2004 men's tennis team.
Plagued by key injuries in the singles lineup, the season was marked by both underclassmen and Jumbo veterans filling the holes in the lineup to hold the team strong.
Tufts' spring season was highlighted with a third-place performance in the NESCAC Tournament, the team's best showing in the event since 1996.
The Jumbos were led by two of their three tri-captains with the other, junior Adam Yates, reduced to the role of assistant coach this spring due to a knee injury.
The captains - junior Rifat Perahya and senior Jon Bram - set the pace for the team, as they advanced to the final of the first doubles flight, literally coming within inches of claiming the title.
Their second-place finish, however, was enough to solidify third place for the Jumbos, as a win would not have affected the team's standing.
The duo put together a record of 9-7 on the season, including the tournament performance. From the beginning of the year, Bram knew he and his partner would make a strong tandem.
"I knew [Rifat and I would] be really tough together," the senior said. "We're both very intense on the court."
Perahya pulled double duty at NESCACs, advancing to the semi-finals of the first singles bracket as well. The performances at singles and doubles earned him the distinction of being the only player in the conference to make the All-Conference Team for both singles and doubles, as he and Bram earned a spot for their team performance as well.
Perahya's 8-7 singles record in the difficult NESCAC was enough to earn a trip to the NCAA Div. III Men's Tennis Championships. He made the trip to Lewiston, Maine, where NESCAC rival Bates hosts the event, last weekend, falling in the first round of the championship to Michael Thoeresz of Redlands College, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-1.
While Perahya and Bram's veteran leadership led the way both on and off the court for Tufts, it was the depth provided by the team's underclassmen that allowed the team to amass a 7-6 record on the season.
After an injury knocked sophomore Paul Roberts and his 4-0 third singles record out of the lineup, classmate Ben Alexander moved up in the lineup and posted a 9-6 mark on the season, including advancing to the semifinals of the NESCACs.
Sophomore Jon Rubenstein, a NESCAC semi-finalist at fourth singles, put together a 7-8 record moving up in the lineup in 2004, including the team's most thrilling win of the regular season.
With the score tied at 3-3 between Tufts and Bowdoin on a chilly Medford night in the early spring, Rubenstein gutted out a three-set victory over Bucky Jencks to clinch the match for the Jumbos.
Although Bowdoin eventually avenged that loss in the postseason, the heart Rubenstein and his teammates displayed against the Polar Bears exemplified the team's stellar play in 2004.
Coach Jim Watson, now in his 23rd season, does not underestimate the role the victory over Bowdoin played in the team's success in the second half of the season.
"The turning point without a doubt was beating Bowdoin," Watson said. "That match set the tone. We hadn't beaten Bowdoin in five years."
Two freshmen initially slated to not be in the singles lineup in 2004 more than filled in at fifth and sixth singles.
Newcomer Sean McCooey posted several key wins to total an 8-5 mark, playing primarily in the fifth slot. In the sixth position, Corey Keller stepped in midseason and ran his record to 7-4 on the season, including a NESCAC semi-final appearance.
The season began on a sour note before spring break, as Tufts lost not only the match, but its tri-captain as well, at the hands of Bates.
In his only appearance of the season, Yates pulled out of his singles match during the Jumbos' 6-1 loss to the Bobcats.
Despite having a depleted lineup from the start, the team quickly regrouped and ran off three straight wins. A four-match losing skid briefly slowed the team down, but Tufts again recovered, winning its four remaining regular season matches.
While the NCAA Tournament loss to Bowdoin ended the season, the team certainly viewed its 2004 campaign as a success.
The team only loses Bram to graduation this spring, and with the likely returns of Yates and Roberts along with incoming freshmen, the outlook for the future looks bright.
"[The future] looks very promising," Watson said. "We have some new guys coming in, but you don't know how good they're going to be until you see them. I think we'll be very competitive."
