Despite a strong effort put forth from the Jumbo roster, Tufts' depth could not overcome Bowdoin's and St. Lawrence's top-of-the-ladder strength, falling in each match 6-3. Even though the overall score does not suggest a blowout, many individual matches were anything but close.
"The teams do not match up very well against one another," coach Doug Eng said. "In both the top and bottom matches it was pretty obvious who was going to win."
The Jumbos are more well-rounded from top to bottom than either Bowdoin or St. Lawrence. However, in the highest and lowest-ranked matches, there was little suspense. Tufts simply could not compete against their opponents' top-tier players, and, on the flip side, the lower-seeded Jumbos had little trouble defeating their counterparts from Bowdoin and St. Lawrence.
"There is a world of difference between the one and nine players on St. Lawrence, a difference that is much smaller on our team," Eng said.
Senior co-captain, Eliza Drachman-Jones echoed her coach's sentiments.
"Our strength is really at the bottom of the ladder. We count on Jenny and Joelle to keep us in matches."
Tufts' Jenny Lange and Joelle Polivy, ranked eighth and ninth respectively, won their matches handily against their Bowdoin and St. Lawrence counterparts. After studying abroad last semester, both players are trying to return to form, but everyone expects that the adjustment period will be short-lived.
"You just don't come back and return to form right away, it is something that will take a lot of practice," Eng said. "Jenny and Joelle are not on the top of their game, but give them a week or two and they should be right back where they left off."
Despite the win-loss record, Eng could not be more satisfied with the top of the ladder play, particularly that of senior co-captain Drachman Jones.
"She is playing way over her head." Eng said.
Drachman-Jones became an exception to the trend of the match, when she defeated St. Lawrence number two player, becoming the only top three players on the Tufts squash team to win a match over the weekend.
"I played the same opponent that I played last year and this time I did what I knew I had to do, keep the ball deep," she said. "I also was able to defeat my opponent in the mental game. She was like a loose cannon out there."
Keeping the ball deep and knowing when to hit the kill shot have been sticking points for coach Eng all year long. While he feels this concept is resonating with his team, he recognizes that there is still room for improvement.
"We are trying to do it, and we are definitely improving," Eng said. "However, there are still too many drops. We also need to be sharper when attacking the front court."
The Jumbos will hone these very skills in practice this week, as they prepare for the Howe Cup Tournament this weekend. The Jumbos are extremely excited about the opportunity to play in Div. II this year, having moved up from Div. III last in 2003-2004.
Their higher placement will likely provide the Jumbos a second chance to defeat William Smith, Bowdoin and St. Lawrence, three matches Tufts lost by a small margin.
The team has found a way to overcome injuries, study abroad absences, and sickness to become the 15th-ranked team in the nation and now they are almost back at full strength.
Senior Nida Ghouse returned from her leg injury last Wednesday in the Jumbos' 7-2 win against Connecticut College. The victory marks the second time the Jumbos defeated the Camels this season, picking up a win in their first match of the season by the same score.
Ghouse showed improvement between the Connecticut College match and last weekend's Bowdoin round robin tournament. The Jumbos hope she will be at close to full strength for this weekend's Howe Cup.
"It allows everyone to return to their normal positions, as Nida will play the number four spot," Drachman-Jones said. "Her efforts to come back along with her perseverance will be a huge emotional lift for our team."
Drachman-Jones realizes this weekend's tournament will be a challenge for the Jumbos; the type that could make it one of the years more memorable moments; a chance for the Jumbos to put all this season's adversity behind them and just play squash.
"We need to keep getting stronger," Drachman-Jones said. "We know what we need to do against our opponents this weekend and we cannot be intimidated by other players' statistical accomplishments. We just need to play our game and forget about who's on the other side."
