While its three opening matches might have felt like foregone conclusions, the women's tennis team had work to do this past weekend to solidify its position as one of the teams to fear in the northeast.
After three days of play at the ITA Regional Championships, hosted by Williams College, the team can safely make that claim.
While only one Jumbo, sophomore Jen Luten, was left standing for Sunday's singles semifinals and finals, all but one left Williamstown with at least one singles win to her credit.
"I think we performed very well in the singles," coach Doug Eng said. "We did almost as well as we possibly could have done. We had five out of six win in the first round."
While it was certainly a top-to-bottom effort that solidified Tufts as one of the teams to beat in 2004-05, it was Luten who set the pace, driving all the way to Sunday's singles final before falling to Amherst freshman Alicia Menezes (6-4, 6-3). Despite coming up just short in the final, Luten was happy with her tournament run.
"I feel like I played really well," the sophomore said. "And I played my hardest."
Luten rolled together five wins in three days to make the final, without losing a single set in the process. In total, she dropped only 17 games in ten sets leading up to the final.
Her wins came over Mount Holyoke senior Andrea Lubold (6-3, 6-0), Bowdoin Polar Bears Kristen Raymond (6-3, 6-3) and Kelsey Hughes (6-2, 6-0), Middlebury freshman Amy Berkman (6-0, 6-2), and Wellesley freshman Jenna Mezin in the semifinals (6-2, 6-2).
"The whole weekend I was very confident," Luten said. "My first match was hard because I was nervous, but then I got focused."
Senior tri-captain Jen Lejb also excelled over the weekend, driving to the Elite Eight before being trumped by Middlebury sophomore Claire Smyser (6-4, 6-2). Before the fourth round defeat, Lejb rolled through Smyser's Panther teammate Emily Holick (2-6, 6-2, 10-7), Brandeis freshman Colleen Donnelly (6-2, 6-3) and Smith's Lauren Kemp (4-6, 6-4, 12-10) in the round of sixteen.
"Jen Lejb played very well," Eng said. "She's great in dual matches; tournaments are harder for her. She had a rougher [draw] than Luten."
Sophomore Kylyn Deary, senior tri-captain Trina Spear and freshman Lani Ackerman all picked up first-round wins for Tufts. Deary and Ackerman both topped the Connecticut College Camels, with Deary downing sophomore Britt Fallon by a score of 6-2, 6-7 (4), 10-4 and Ackerman besting senior Laura Demoreuille (7-5, 6-2).
Spear was victorious over Mount Holyoke senior Jessica Resnick (6-3, 6-3).
Sophomore Stephanie Ruley was the lone Jumbo not to secure a singles win, largely due to a tough first round match-up against Amherst freshman Laura Stein (6-0, 6-1), but even she returned to Medford with something to smile about. She rattled off four straight wins in the consolation bracket over competition from Bates, Babson, Connecticut College and Williams before finally falling in the consolation finals.
Doubles was a bit of a disappointment for the team, as only one of three Tufts entries made it out of the first round. Luten and Deary topped Wellesley's Mezin and freshman Hali Walther (8-5). The team seemingly shot itself in the foot with all of its singles success, as its increased singles participation tired the players out before Friday afternoon's doubles action.
"Doubles was really a free-for-all," Eng said. "The teams were all exhausted. Whichever team was fresher did better."
Eng certainly could not chalk everything up to exhaustion, explaining that the team certainly has more work to do in doubles.
"We still have to work on our court movement and fitness," the coach said. "Amherst moves unbelievably well."
Menezes' singles prowess was not all the Lord Jeffs had to be proud of on the weekend. The Amherst freshman completed a sweep of the weekend, as she and senior partner Rachel Holt ran the table in the doubles bracket.
Despite not carrying home championship hardware, the team took plenty of positives back from Williamstown, with much of its fall season and an entire spring campaign lying ahead.
"I think [the strong competition at ITA's] helped a lot because we have tough matches ahead this weekend," Luten said."
The schedule's intensity picks up with a ride to Kendall Square for a showdown at MIT on Thursday afternoon.
