This weekend will be a bittersweet pill to swallow for the men's tennis team.
The members of the team will be on the Hill to enjoy Spring Fling, but only as a result of last Saturday's loss to Bates, which ended the Jumbos aspirations for a berth in this weekend's NESCAC tournament.
The Jumbos were in a do-or-die situation entering their last NESCAC match versus Bates. Tufts needed a win over the Bobcats in order to get a bid to the NESCAC tournament, where they would have had the chance to advance to the NCCA regional finals.
However, Tufts fell short in a 5-2 loss, dropping to 6-9 on the season and ending their bid for NESCAC and regional berths.
Bates showed up ready for battle on its home courts at the Wallach Tennis Center. The Bobcat doubles teams pounced from the onset, consistently making incredible touch volleys to handily down the Jumbos.
Tufts junior Matt Gallin and senior tri-captain Paul Roberts lost quickly at No. 1 doubles, 8-1. The No. 3 doubles pairing of sophomore Will Fleder and junior Corey Keller lost similarly, 8-2.
Junior Sean McCooey and senior tri-captain Jon Rubenstein, the combination at two-doubles, gave the Bobcats the most trouble. They led at one point, but eventually succumbed, falling 8-5 to Bates freshman Benjamin Stein and junior Patrick Conway.
"It's disappointing for that to be my last match, but that's how it goes," Rubenstein said. "I've had too many other good memories playing for the team to let that take anything away from my tennis team experience."
The Jumbos have relied on their singles ability all season, and they were banking on this strength against the Bobcats. However, the strategy backfired against a formidable Bates singles contingent. Senior tri-captain Ben Alexander and Keller were the only Jumbos to pick up wins, doing so in the third and sixth slots, respectively. Alexander beat junior Greg Little 6-1, 6-1 and Keller topped Conway 6-2, 7-5.
Roberts, Fleder, and Rubenstein all lost in straight sets, while McCooey made it a closer match, but lost in the third set to Stein.
With the end of their season in sight, the team took the courts one final time on Tuesday against non-conference Boston University. The Jumbos fielded a depleted force against a young Terrier lineup, as Rubenstein, McCooey, Gallin, and Fleder did not compete, and the team ended the 2005-06 campaign with an anticlimactic 4-2 loss.
The Jumbos lost the doubles point in a heartbreaker, as two of the three doubles pairs fell in extremely close matches. The No. 1 doubles team of Roberts and Alexander lost in a tiebreaker, 9-8, 10-8. Their defeat capped a winless season for the Tufts top doubles pair.
In the No. 2 doubles position, Keller and sophomore Kenny Leavitt lost 9-7 to BU's Ross Lohr and Giulio Gallarotti. Freshmen Drew Frankel and Brian Love were drafted into the third doubles team, and took a hard 8-1 loss.
The singles matches began with a 1-0 Jumbos deficit following the loss in the doubles round. Tufts was only able to win two of the six singles matches, with each of the wins coming from veteran Jumbo players. Alexander stepped up for his last career home singles match, beating junior Ross Lohr 7-5, 6-1 at No. 2. Keller also picked up his 15th career win, downing freshman Miron Nissim in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Roberts lost at the top spot, 6-1, 6-4, and Leavitt fell 6-4, 6-2 in the sixth singles slot. Freshman Vinh Tran took his match to three sets, but lost 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-1. Junior Craig Kunkes had his match suspended in the third set, as BU had already clinched the win.
Despite the loss, the last match of the season marked a nostalgic moment for the seniors.
"I can always play tennis again through men's tournaments and leagues, but never again will I have the chance to go into battle with some of my best friends and a team that was so close," Roberts said.
Frankel, Love, and Tran got the chance to gain some match experience with the absence of their older teammates, giving the Terriers a taste of the future of the Tufts squad.
"Even though we had a tough loss, I can't wait for next year," junior Craig Kunkes said. "Cory, Vinh, Matt and I all had a few big wins this year which lessens the sting a bit."
