In another match against a division rival opponent, Trinity College proved that there are no easy matches in the NESCAC, defeating Tufts 6-1 in a match that featured enough head-turning rallies to give an observer neck pains. The loss drops Tufts to 2-3 on the season.
Trinity found a way to win most of the long rallies, making the score seem more lopsided than the actual match.
In the number one singles match, senior co-captain Adam Yates played Brian Marsden. Trinity wanted to be aggressive without over-committing, and Bantam Marsden feels he was successful in that regard.
"The Jumbos are a solid team," Marsden said. "We wanted to play our game. We knew that we could not be too aggressive. If we were it would come back to haunt us. I felt like I played aggressive when I needed to."
For Yates, however, the feeling was not the same. The co-captain could not have been more upset with his play.
"I played awful out there today." Yates said. "You have to give him credit - he had a strong serve and kept me off balance most of the match."
Yates, however, was quick to realize that the Jumbos cannot mope about their loss. The Jumbos play three games on the road in a row starting Thursday, against MIT, Bowdoin, and Colby.
"This is a big weekend coming up." Yates said. "These games will be huge if we want to qualify for post-season competition."
Yates, along with the rest of the team, is also excited about the chance to get junior Ben Alexander back on the court. Alexander recently sprained his wrist in practice returning a serve and hopes to return for the next team's next match.
"The chance to get Alexander back will be huge." coach Jim Watson said. "He will help us tremendously in the singles rotation."
Trinity won yesterday with a combination of strong vollies and its ability to handle the Jumbos when they came to the net. Trinity was either able to hit down the line or successfully lob the ball over their heads in key volley situations. The Bantams' ability to capitalize in these situations proved to be a deciding factor in the match.
"Trinity was very successful with the lob." Watson said. "You have to be selective when you use the lob, especially on a day like this when the wind was such a factor."
There was mixed reaction to the Jumbos loss. Senior co-captain Rifat Perahya believes the Jumbos are lacking confidence.
"Coach keeps telling us that we can beat these teams, but right now we are not showing it." Perahya said. "Including myself, we will need to get focused starting right now."
Watson, however, believes it is important to take into consideration the talent that the Jumbos have faced recently in NESCAC play. He was proud of his team after the match.
"You can over-analyze this thing all you want," Watson said. "Teams such as Middlebury and Trinity are more skilled then us."
Watson is not satisfied with his team's attitude and effort in recent play.
"Look, the guys don't want to hear it but we have as much fight as they do," Watson said. "These matches come down to who hits the big shot after a long rally and the team that does that is usually the one with more skills."
The lone bright spot on the day was the play of sophomore Sean McCooey. McCooey, the Jumbos number six singles player, was playing in the last match of the afternoon. Even though a Trinity victory was assured, McCooey kept fighting and won his match in three sets 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
"It's kind of tough when you are in that position, as you feel like you are just playing for yourself," McCooey said.
"It's an empty feeling," he said when asked about his feelings about being the lone Jumbo to win his match.
The Jumbos will look to fill that emptiness tomorrow when they travel to MIT. After MIT, Tufts will head to Bowdoin and Colby for two pivotal weekend matches for the Jumbos.
