Two matches, one on the road and one at home, resulted in a pair of losses for the Tufts men's tennis team. The Jumbos fell to No. 6 Williams and No. 4 Middlebury on Saturday and Friday, respectively, and the nationally-ranked NESCAC talent proved too difficult a challenge for the Jumbos to overcome.
In Saturday's match, the Jumbos lost 7-0 to the Ephs, despite some early signs of success. The top-ranked Ephs defended their ranking and moved to 6-1 on the season, while the loss, the second of the weekend and the fourth straight for Tufts, dropped the Jumbos to 2-4 overall.
"I thought we played very loose and relaxed against Williams, which is awesome," coach Doug Eng said. "Williams just defeated Dartmouth the day before. We didn't [pay attention to] their ranking and we didn't feel pressure. We just have to play that way [all the time]."
The beginning of Saturday's match promised some surprising upsets. Senior tri-captain Jon Rubenstein and junior Sean McCooy were leading 4-3 in the No. 1 doubles spot and the No. 3 doubles team of sophomore Will Fleder and junior Corey Keller won three straight to cut into a 7-2 deficit.
But as the sunny Saturday afternoon turned dark, forcing the matches inside, the Jumbos' performances soured as well. The team of senior tri-captain Paul Roberts and junior Matt Gallin were defeated 8-2 and the comeback team of junior Corey Keller and sophomore Will Fleder lost 8-5.
Likewise, the team of Rubenstein and McCooey has had a solid 3-1 season so far at the No. 2 doubles slot, but have yet to secure a victory as the top doubles seed.
"My doubles match was a little disappointing," Rubenstein said. "Sean served really well, but I just didn't get it done on my serve."
As the singles matches took to the courts, the Jumbos looked to make up ground lost in the doubles round. Roberts took an early 3-0 lead as the top singles seed and took the first set, 6-3, the only set the Jumbos would take all day. But the lead didn't hold, as Williams sophomore Daniel Greenberg won the second set 6-2, before the weather took a turn for the worse.
Roberts' teammates fared no better as Tufts lost each singles match one by one. No. 5 McCooey dropped a 6-4, 6-2 two-set match to Ephs senior Bryan Monier, and although Fleder had three set points at No. 3, he could not match Roberts' set victory, falling 7-5, 6-4 to sophomore Gary Simonette.
"Williams was tough as we expected," Fleder said. "I played well but my opponent was very talented. I had three set points in the first set, so the only thing I feel like I didn't do was win one of the big points. I had a lot of break opportunities, but he played well on those points."
At the No. 2 spot, Rubenstein attempted a second-set comeback as he took the set to 6-4 but couldn't pull the big points to force a third set, losing 2-6, 4-6.
The matches were moved indoors after Roberts and Greenberg split their first two sets. Roberts then defaulted in the third set because the Ephs had already secured a victory.
The 7-0 blanking by Williams came on the heels of another shutout loss to a nationally-ranked NESCAC foe, as Tufts faced a much tougher opponent in Middlebury on Saturday.
The Middlebury roster boasts five players ranked in the top 13 in the Northeast Region and the top-ranked doubles team in the region in senior Ari Beilin and junior Alex Scott. The Panther duo defended their title with an 8-2 win over Rubenstein and McCooey, who moved up to the top spot due to their past success as a pair.
However, Tufts was not as successful in the other doubles matches. The No. 2 team was taken down 8-1 by senior Brian Waldron and junior George Mayerand the No. 3 pair of Keller and Fleder fell 8-2 to senior Nate Edmunds and junior Kevin Bergesen.
The Jumbos took the loss in stride, understanding the challenge facing them going into the match and setting their own standards for success.
"[Middlebury] expected to beat us with their high ranking, so all the pressure [was] on them," Roberts said. "I welcomed the challenge and thrive on playing top-ranked players. I think the team battled hard and it was a great practice match for us before we play teams that we need to beat to make NCAAs."
The singles matches followed suit. Fleder and McCooey once again walked of the courts with the most games, each taking four from their Panther opponent, but it was not enough to claim a lone point for Tufts, which fell 7-0.
The Jumbos' competition will not get any easier in the immediate future, either. They face the 10th-ranked Trinity on the road on Tuesday and Bowdoin College at home on Friday. These two matches are important to the Jumbos as they try to make it to the national finals.
"The losses were disappointing but I think we feel like if we can hang with the best, then we can beat some of the other NESCAC teams at our level, most notably Amherst, Trinity, Bates, and Bowdoin," Fleder said. "This team has a lot of fight, and I feel confident going into some big matches this week."
