When asked how he was feeling at the beginning of his match against Boston University, men's tennis coach Jim Watson said, "I could be better."
That mindset reflected the general mood at Voute Courts yesterday as the Jumbos looked to turn their season around after a tough loss to Amherst on Tuesday that effectively ended any hopes at a postseason bid. Even a 4-3 win for the Jumbos did little to overshadow the impact of Tuesday's loss.
The showdown with Amherst was supposed to mark a new chapter in the men's tennis team's season. It was the match Jumbos circled on their schedule weeks in advance, an opportunity for the team to overcome injuries, boost its sub-.500 record, and make a stab at a post-season berth.
But a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Lord Jeffs on Tuesday afternoon all but closed the door on the team's postseason aspirations. Even if the Jumbos finish their season on a winning streak, post-season play remains a long shot.
"This just was not our year," senior co-captain Rifat Perahya said. The match marked the final one of Perahya's career as a Jumbo, as he is suffering from a torn-ACL and was barely able to complete his singles match.
"It's very disappointing that Rifat cannot enjoy the glory of playing in his last few matches," coach Jim Watson said. "He has been an integral part of our team for four years."
Perahya acknowledged that it was a team failure, and not any specific player, that stopped the Jumbos well short of their season goals.
"This was the most important match of the season," Perahya said. "Our whole team knew that and Amherst just outplayed us. There is nothing more to it than that."
The Lord Jeffs dominated the Jumbos point for point. Jumbo sophomore Sean McCooey's loss in a third-set tiebreaker was the only singles match that lasted longer than two sets.
In what has become the norm during Jumbo losses, McCooey was playing his match with the outcome a foregone conclusion. McCooey is the Jumbos number six singles player and an overall Amherst victory was assured when his match began.
Junior Paul Roberts won the lone match of the day for the Jumbos. Roberts made quick of his opponent, Lenny Lepner, defeating him in two straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
Injuries have not only sidelined key Jumbos, including junior Ben Alexander, who missed yesterday's match with ankle problems, but have seeped into the mindsets of Jumbos all season long.
"A huge part of this injury bug has been mental," Perahya said. "You can debate all you want about whether it is a valid excuse, but it affects our team attitude and, more importantly, [our] ability to prepare."
Watson has seen the same effects on his players.
"It's been really difficult all year to prepare because the guys never know who they are playing. Our lineup today is different from yesterday and will probably be different this weekend," Watson said. "This has to wear on the guys."
Injuries and a molecular biology test forced the Jumbos to reshuffle their doubles pairings against Amherst. Matt Gallin, who is usually the Jumbos number seven singles player, was paired with Paul Roberts in the first doubles match. McCooey and Perahya, the number one doubles team a year ago, were reunited at the second doubles spot. Sophomore Geoff Loh was taking a biology test and therefore was unable to play.
Tufts made some unforced errors and the Jumbos had a difficult time adjusting to the Amherst courts. Since the Amherst courts were recently re-paved the ball moves much slower than it would on a normal hardwood surface. The Lord Jeffs also used their strong ground stokes to keep the Jumbos on the defensive for much of the match.
"Their courts were very slow," Watson said. "This means that you have to really hit the ball and we simply left a lot of balls out there which allowed them to hit a lot of winners."
Senior co-captain Adam Yates agreed.
"They hit the ball much harder than us and this allowed them in control through most of the points throughout the match," he said.
In the doubles matches, Amherst was able to use the slower courts to hit difficult shots that often forced the Jumbos to retreat to the baseline.
"They were all over the net," Yates said. "There is no question about that."
Watson spoke frankly about the loss.
"The points have been competitive all year long," said Watson. "[Amherst] improved tremendously and it was the first time they beat us in four years. The better team makes the big shots and that was Amherst yesterday."
