The men's tennis squad is exhausted but satisfied after the last four days, which included three difficult NESCAC matches against Williams on Saturday, Bates on Sunday, and Trinity yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday the team took to the courts in the Gantcher Center against Trinity, ranked No. 11 in the nation. But the Jumbos refused to roll over for the Bantams, using their familiar home turf at the Gantcher Center to their advantage, and jumping out to a 2-1 margin after doubles - a lead they would not relinquish, winning 5-4 overall.
"This is the biggest win in several years for us," coach Doug Eng said.
The Jumbos took first and third doubles for the second time in three matches, giving them momentum going into singles play, which in turn, keyed narrow victories from the No. 1 and No. 5 singles slots.
Competing at the top singles slot, junior Will Fleder pulled out an impressive two set win, taking both in tiebreakers.
"I had a lot of chances to break him, but I didn't play well in those spots so I just had to pull myself together and keep playing," Fleder said.
Fleder's opponent, Trinity senior co-captain Brian Marsden, played a consistent game highlighted by his powerful kick serves and remarkable lobs. But Fleder matched Marsden's consistency and hit commanding ground strokes to pull out the tiebreakers and take the match 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).
Senior tri-captain Corey Keller fell at No. 2 singles against Trinity senior Brett Ramsey 6-2, 6-1.
"I had a really penetrating slice going that caught well on these courts," Ramsey said.
At No. 5 singles, freshman Andrew Rosen lost the first set, before coming back to win the second and hold on in the third for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory, giving Tufts its fifth win.
"I was under the weather today," Rosen said. "But I loosened up and felt better as the match went on, and I managed to pull it out."
Tufts also got a notched a solid 6-0, 7-5 win from senior tri-captain Sean McCooey, which provided yet another narrow match victory and contributed to the first Tufts win over Trinity since March 2003 when the Jumbos beat the Bantams by one, 4-3.
Sunday's match against the Bobcats marked the first key win for the Jumbos over a ranked NESCAC opponent, as they took care of No. 24 Bates by a margin of 6-3. After dropping two of the three doubles matches, Tufts stormed back to capture five of six in singles.
Fleder played another close match at No. 1 singles, losing the first set in a tiebreaker that lasted 20 points before winning nine games in a row and pulling out a three-set victory, 6-7 (9), 6-0, 7-5.
Tufts also picked up wins from the No. 3 through No. 6 singles slots.
At No. 3, McCooey fell in a first set tiebreaker, but with the help of scrappy net play and steady attacking, came back and took the match 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1.
Senior tri-captain Matt Gallin took care of business from the fourth slot winning 7-6 (4), 6-4, while Rosen and senior Craig Kunkes won their matches at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, in straight sets.
On Saturday, Tufts battled it out with No. 6 ranked Williams Ephs. The match started off on a high note for the Jumbos, as they snatched wins at first and third doubles to go into singles play up 2-1. But Tufts failed to continue its winning ways in the singles portion, losing all six singles matches in straight sets and dropping the match 7-2.
In spite of the loss, Tufts salvaged one considerable victory. The No. 1 doubles teams have struggled for the past two years for Tufts and did not net a single win last season. The slump-breaking victory for senior tri-captain Sean McCooey and classmate Geoff Loh came at a remarkable time against one of the most solid NESCAC teams.
"Geoff and I have played doubles together on and off for years," McCooey said. "It was just a matter of time before we put it all together."
Tufts' only other victory was a dramatic 9-8 win for Keller and freshman Jon Trott at No. 3 doubles, thanks to a narrow 7-5 margin in the tiebreaker.
In singles, Tufts was completely blanked, failing to take even a set from Williams. The Ephs singles squad proved too strong and steady for the Jumbos, causing them to make too many unforced errors.
"Williams is known for their singles play, so I wouldn't say we were that surprised to see them come back from our lead after doubles," McCooey said.
The action-packed week has landed the Jumbos at 6-2 on the year, as they have beaten two nationally-ranked NESCAC teams. The next major challenge for Tufts will be Friday's match at Bowdoin, the No. 16 ranked team in Div. III.
