After extending its losing streak to four matches with its 7-0 loss to the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Friday, the men's tennis team knew it was crunch time.
With three starters sidelined due to injuries, including senior co-captain and No. 1 singles and doubles player Rifat Perahya, and their match against Colby less than 15 hours away, the Jumbos did not appear to be in good shape heading into their match against the Mules on Saturday.
But the Jumbos shook off Friday's loss, halting their losing streak with a 5-2 victory over Colby in their best singles match performance of the season. The win helped Tufts finish a three-match, three-day road trip that junior Paul Roberts referred to as "just plain brutal."
The Jumbos started the stint off on Thursday with a 4-3 loss to MIT. Tufts was the favorite heading into the match, but MIT did not give the Jumbos any easy points and engineered a victory.
"It was a tough loss for two reasons," Roberts said. "Anytime you lose a match 4-3 you are always going to hang your head and think 'if I had only done this.' Also it's always tough to lose a game when you feel you are the better team on paper."
The loss, however, marked the return of senior co-captain Adam Yates.
Yates did not have time to get his feet wet, as he played MIT's No.1 seed, one of the best players in the country.
"It felt great to be back." Yates said. "I did not really expect to win that match since it was my first time back and I was playing against the number one player in the country."
Yates's leg injury prevented him from competing for more then two consecutive days. However, despite losing his MIT and Bowdoin matches, he noticed improvement between the two.
"My first serve percentage is getting much better along with the top-spin on my forehand," Yates said. "I played a heavy ball out there."
Yates' teammates do not underestimate his contributions, even when he unable to play.
"There is no question Adam has played the role of assistant coach this season," Roberts said. "His leadership has been tremendous."
On Friday, the Jumbos extended all but two matches against Bowdoin beyond the minimum two sets, but could not close out any of them with a win.
"We believed we were going to go out and beat Colby." Perahya said. "On the other hand, we had no confidence when it came to the Bowdoin match. The correlation speaks for itself."
Perahya had an MRI yesterday, but the results were not available as of press time.
"The doctors told me I have something torn in my knee," Perahya said. "They're just not sure what."
After the Bowdoin loss, the Jumbos commented on the composure of their coach Jim Watson. Reflecting his veteran presence, Watson did not panic and, following his lead, neither did his players.
"He told us to try and get some sleep," Roberts said. "And he had a way of telling us we needed to beat Colby if we wanted to make regionals, but somehow even after his talk, we still didn't feel nervous."
The Jumbos were able to use the early morning wind to their advantage against Colby and entered the match with the strategy of making Colby hit one extra shot every play. The move marked a departure from the Jumbos normal strategy of being aggressive and trying to put your opponent away as early as possible. The wind, however, demanded such a change.
"Due to the wind, we were trying not to make the mistake," sophomore Sean McCooey said. "We wanted them to hit the extra shot whenever possible."
According to players, McCooey filled a leadership role for the Jumbos over their road trip.
"Sean has been an excellent example for our whole team." Perahya said. "Sometimes he is playing in matches when the outcome is already decided. However, he still plays his heart out and his sense of self-pride is something that rubs off on the rest of the guys."
