After two tough NESCAC losses, the women's tennis team is back on track, following wins over conference foes Trinity on Sunday and Conn. College on Tuesday.
The victories were essential for a team looking to compete in the NESCAC Tournament at the end of April. The Jumbos now stand at 11-4, with only a match against non-conference rival Wellesley remaining before the conference tournament begins on April 27.
"It was very important that we stepped up our play and started to win again," senior tri-captain Kylyn Deary said. "Both Trinity and Conn. College were essential wins if we wanted to make it to NESCACs. After seeing some of the top teams in the NESCAC, we are ready and know what we have to do to pull out the wins."
Due to the inclement New England weather, Tuesday's match was moved indoors to the Luce Fieldhouse courts. Like all Northeast teams, the Jumbos have dealt with inconsistent weather all spring, frequently having to move back-and-forth between indoor and outdoor courts for their matches.
"NESCAC tennis means being able to play on all types of surface, which we are becoming very good at," Deary said.
But the women did not let the indoor courts get in their way on Tuesday, jumping out to an early 2-1 lead after doubles play. One of the wins came from the pairing of senior tri-captains Jen Luten and Deary in the No. 1 spot, who pulled out a tough 9-7 win against Camel seniors Beret Remak and Sage Shanley.
"Jen and Kylyn's match was neck-and-neck the whole time," coach Kate Bayard said. "Both of their serves were on and they beat the other team to net on most points. They brought their level up a notch when the other team stepped it up."
While the duo of freshman Meghan McCooey and junior Andrea Cenko were not as lucky in the No. 2 spot, falling to Camel seniors Amanda Poe and Britt Fallon 8-6, the No. 3 doubles pair of freshman Erica Miller and sophomore Mari Homma pulled through with a dominating 8-3 win in the No. 3 doubles spot, handing the Jumbos the 2-1 lead going into singles play.
"Our doubles is definitely a weapon," Deary said. "We have been working very hard on positioning and movement in doubles and now the hard work is paying off."
The Jumbos took control of the singles play as well, winning four of six singles matches to complete the 6-3 win. Luten lost a tough match-up in the No. 1 singles spot with No. 3 regionally-ranked Remak 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. McCooey stepped up her play after a tough doubles loss however, taking care of Poe easily, 6-0 and 6-4.
"Meghan could do no wrong on the singles court today," Bayard said. "She did a great job of creating opportunities for put-away shots. She also neutralized when Amanda had her on the run."
Cenko and Deary, at No. 3 and 4, respectively, added to the singles winning. Although Cenko needed three sets to win her match, Deary took care of Fallon easily, 6-2 and 6-4. The fourth singles win came from Homma in the No. 6 spot who blanked Camel junior Danielle Coleman, 6-3 and 6-0.
"We are always strong in singles," Deary said. "The courts at Conn. College are extremely fast so we knew each point was going to be very important. We all played very well."
"In singles we had the mentality today that every ball was gettable on our side and we had the expectation that every ball was coming back from the other side," Bayard said. "We knew we needed to earn any points we won."
The win for the Jumbos on Tuesday followed a win on Sunday in Hartford, Conn. Desperately in search of a NESCAC win after sustaining two tough losses to Bowdoin and Amherst the week before, the Jumbos got just what they needed, downing Trinity 6-3.
The match featured wins from all three doubles pairs, in addition to three singles wins, one each from Luten, Deary and Homma.
Bayard's team will continue to work hard this week in preparation for tomorrow's face-off with Wellesley before competing in the NESCAC Tournament April 27-29.
"We will continue on consistency and mental toughness," Deary said. "We are ready for Wellesley and looking for some good competition."
