After a 7-2 loss to No. 7 Bowdoin on Friday the Jumbos had their work cut out for them Tuesday, taking on yet another NESCAC powerhouse in No. 4 Amherst, which was vulnerable after a recent 5-4 upset loss to No. 9 Middlebury.
With improved doubles play, Tufts put up a fight, taking two out of three doubles matches from the Lord Jeffs before losing four of six singles competitions to narrowly lose the match 5-4. Although the Jumbos were not happy with the loss, the improved play and the tight score were a step forward for the women, who now boast a 9-4 record this spring.
"Coming so close to beating Amherst was heartbreaking," senior tri-captain Steph Ruley said. "But everyone played as well as they could. The doubles teams played their best matches of the season."
Due to the cold April temperatures, the match was moved indoors to the Gantcher Center, a change the team hoped might give them the advantage they needed for the tough match.
"I think the indoor courts were to our advantage because they are very fast and we are used to them," senior tri-captain Kylyn Deary said. "It depends on the opponent if a surface is more or less beneficial. I think we all used the fact that our courts are very fast to our advantage."
The Jumbos used their advantages to jump out to a 2-1 lead after doubles play. In the No. 1 spot, the duo of senior tri-captains Jen Luten and Deary narrowly edged the top Amherst pair of junior Alicia Menezes and freshman Brittany Berckes, 9-8. Junior Andrea Cenko and freshman Meghan McCooey were not as lucky in the No. 2 spot as Lord Jeffs' junior Monica Snyder and senior Katie Hudson ended up on the top of a close 9-7 match.
"At two we stopped going for the shots we were going for before," coach Kate Bayard said. "When the going got tough in a couple spots we stopped doing what got us there. We need to take the same risks that got us there."
The second win for the Jumbos came from sophomore Mari Homma and freshman Erica Miller who came together to beat the pair of juniors Laura Stein and Jennifer Murphy 8-6.
"Doubles played the best they've played all season," Bayard said. "They hit their spots on returns and controlled the net and played aggressively. They also did a great job of isolating."
"It was huge to go up 2-1 after the doubles," Deary said. "We had match point at two doubles also. We knew our doubles were strong, and [Tuesday] we proved to be very tough. It's hard to go down 2-1 or 3-0 after doubles when you are playing the top teams in the nation because you build momentum going into singles."
Tufts had the momentum it needed with its two doubles wins, but was unable to pull through in some close singles matches, earning victories in only the No. 1 and No. 6 spots. The seniors led the way for the Jumbos in singles play as Luten earned a win in the No. 1 spot over Menezes 6-4, 6-2. The victory was the 59th of Luten's career, making her Tufts' all-time leader in singles victory.
Playing in her first match of the spring, Ruley earned a decisive win in the No. 6 spot, toppling Stein 6-3, 6-2.
"The singles went well," Deary said. "It could have gone better if we would have played the big points smarter. This is still something we have to work on."
"We played such smart tennis," Bayard said. "Any championship team is going to start playing better when they are down and they turned it up a notch, but we stayed aggressive."
After taking the first set 6-4 McCooey ended up falling to Berckes 6-2, 6-3 in the No. 2 spot. Cenko, senior Silvia Schmid and Deary all lost in the No. 3-5 spots, respectively, the latter two after forcing second-set tie-breakers.
"I was happy with the heart and effort each player gave on the court," Deary said. "We need to react when our opponents step up their games. Our team still needs to have more confidence in our games and trust our shots."
"We had our chances," Bayard said. "That's the difference in a championship team. The team needs to take the same calculated risks regardless of the score."
With the toughest part of their season behind them the Jumbos will look to start a winning streak before heading into the NESCAC Championships later this month.
The team will square off against Trinity on Sunday at 11 a.m.
