A fractured wrist, forearm tendonitis, a pulled groin and a severely cut finger.
That's not the most recent MLB disabled list, but rather the state of the men's tennis team as it limped into its two weekend home matches against Bowdoin on Friday and Wheaton on Sunday.
But despite the injuries, the Jumbos pulled out two huge 5-2 victories to snap a five-match losing streak that included three shutouts to NESCAC teams. The wins showcased a revitalized and reenergized Tufts squad that moved within one game of evening its record at .500.
"The main thing is that going into this year, we had no real superstars," senior tri-captain Paul Roberts said "I'm our No. 1, but I could very easily play two, three or four. We don't rely on one person for an automatic win, and we know that each match could be the deciding match."
Tufts made quick work of Wheaton on Sunday afternoon in the comfort of nicer weather and a strong contingent of family, friends and fellow students.
The team got off to a promising start as they took two important doubles points. The No. 1 duo of senior tri-captain Jon Rubenstein and junior Sean McCooey lost in a close 7-9 match to junior captain Payum Payman and sophomore Sean Daly, but the Jumbos picked up the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles points. Senior tri-captain Paul Roberts and junior Matt Gallin won 8-2, and junior Corey Keller and sophomore William Fleder won 8-3 at the third spot.
"Especially in close matches, the doubles point is often the deciding factor," Roberts said. "That point gives us a lot of momentum, though as a captain, it's sometimes a double-edged sword, since I have to convey to the team that even though we're up 1-0, we still have to play hard in all our matches."
The message got through on Sunday, however, as the singles matches took to the courts against a Wheaton team determined to battle back. Fleder at No. 2 singles and Rubenstein at No. 3 took charge, both winning their first sets with ease. Fleder's opponent defaulted due to a sprained ankle and the junior walked off the Voute Courts with a grin and another point notched for Tufts, putting the Jumbos up 3-0.
Wheaton fought back as Keller dropped his singles point playing in the five position and a forearm injury forced Alexander to the sideline.
Alexander's forearm has been a chronic injury this season. He had a cortisone injection two months ago, and the effect of the injection started to wear off this weekend.
"Each forehand I hit, the tendon would become more painful," Alexander said, "It is incredibly disappointing, but so far the good thing is that my injury has not cost us any matches."
Although the match had been decided with McCooey's singles victory, junior Craig Kunkes stepped up for the bottom of the roster to make a statement, winning in three sets to make the final score 5-2.
On Friday against the Polar Bears, the match started in the Jumbos' favor as they pulled two of the three doubles matches to gain the all-important first point. McCooey and Rubenstein once again lost their match by the close score of 7-9 before the match was moved inside to Gantcher due to rain.
The venue change was good for the Jumbos, who began to dominate the Polar Bears. Although Alexander had to retire after the first set, his teammates were still leading the match by a score of 3-1 with wins from Rubenstein (6-4, 6-4 over freshman Alex Caughron) and Fleder (6-3, 6-4 over sophomore Garret Gates).
The men's roster sports a variety of talent, with three of the top six playing better indoors and three faring better on outdoor courts.
"We always argue about this, but it's really a toss-up," Roberts said. "We're good in the sense that we're versatile. I'm an outdoor player, so [the switch] didn't work that well for me, but it might not have made a difference with the guy I was playing against."
Roberts had a tough three set match against Bowdoin, losing 7-6(2), 2-6, 2-6 to junior Sam Bitetti. McCooey, playing with a pulled groin muscle at No. 5, and Keller at No. 6 both dropped their first sets, putting the Jumbos' victory in jeopardy.
But with the Tufts lead at a precarious 3-2, the junior teammates used each others' encouragement to split sets and eventually pull out the match.
"Sean came up huge and found away to win," Fleder said. "He was the MVP of the match."
After suffering through a five-match losing streak that cut short an early 2-0 record, Tufts approached last weekend like a new season
"We won our first two matches and [then] lost five in a row," Fleder said. "We went in with the spirit of a new season. We know we will need that same intensity for upcoming matches against Colby [this Friday] and Amherst."
Senior tri-captain Ben Alexander attributes the improvement this year to the emphasis on mental toughness and Coach Doug Eng teaching them how to approach each point.
"We don't let our behavior dictate the point, meaning that in any one match, a player is going to have good and bad points," Alexander said. "We try to play each point with the same level of intensity"
