The women's tennis team finished its fall season with a convincing win on Homecoming Saturday against New York University, as the Jumbos took down the Violets 9-0.
After losing to the top-ranked Williams Ephs last week, the Jumbos swept NYU Saturday, giving them a powerful momentum boost going into the New England Championships in two weeks. Tufts finished the fall team season with a 2-1 record in three dual matches, beating MIT and NYU but losing their only NESCAC match to the Ephs.
The NYU match was dominated by Tufts from the start with wins in all three doubles matches. Freshmen Julia Browne and Miranda Young won a close match at first doubles against NYU seniors Meggie and Holly Smith, 8-6. Young's win put her doubles record for the fall at 5-2. Miranda's sister and fellow freshman Hayley Young teamed with sophomore Meghan McCooey to defeat the pair of senior captain Jacyln Manning and junior Stephanie Tu at second doubles, 8-2. Tufts then completed the doubles sweep, as sophomores Erica Miller and Mari Homma took control at third doubles to beat freshmen Ally Havas and Lisa Mijovic 8-3.
"I thought everyone played very well in both singles and doubles," Miranda Young wrote in an e-mail the Daily. "NYU was not an easy team; Tufts just played smarter and won the big points."
"NYU is a team not to be underestimated," senior Megan Gentzler added. "It was great to celebrate our Homecoming with a huge win like that."
Tufts may have felt that NYU was a competitive opponent, but the Violets only managed to win one set in all of their six singles matches. The Jumbos showed a powerful top of the lineup with sweeps at all of the top five spots.
McCooey won 12 of her 13 games against Tufts at first singles with a 6-0, 6-1 win. McCooey raised her fall record over .500 to 4-3 with the victory and, after moving up to the top singles spot for the Jumbos in just her second year, she boasts a 19-11 career record.
Senior Grace Cascarilla Berry took control at second singles, prevailing in a first-set tiebreak and then dominating the second set to take down Meggie Smith, 7-6 (5), 6-1
Browne won at third singles in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 over Holly Smith. The freshman posted the most impressive record of all the first years at 4-2 for the fall.
Miller had an easy time at fourth singles, beating Manning 6-1, 6-1, and was followed by Homma, who had another convincing win against NYU junior Mandy Freeman at fifth singles, 6-3, 6-3.
The closest match of the day came when Jumbos senior Andrea Cenko faced Havas in the sixth singles spot. Cenko finally took the match in the third set super-tiebreaker, 6-3, 3-6, 10-6, with the victory putting her at 2-1 for the fall season in dual match singles play.
"Andrea's match stood out to me, as she clinched it in a super-tiebreaker for the third set," Gentzler said. "She played really smart tennis, being patient yet still aggressive, finishing a lot of points at net."
The match was an exciting one for Tutfs, as they swept the Violets at an opportune time.
"Because it was our last match of the season, and Homecoming, we had a lot to play for," freshman Edwina Stewart said. "After last week's loss to Williams, we were ready to prove that we are one of the best teams in the NESCAC, and I think we did just that. This win gives us a lot of momentum for the New England Regionals and hopefully for the spring season."
The team has a lot to be excited for in anticipation of the spring season. Ranked No.15 nationally by CollegeTennisOnline.com, Tufts shows promise both from the team's senior leaders and from its notable underclassmen. The Young sisters have played well in their doubles matches for the fall, going 3-2. Browne's breakout performance at ITA Regionals was a welcome sight for the team, especially after she followed up those two wins with a 2-1 singles record in the three dual matches.
Sophomores have stepped up for Tufts, as on top of McCooey at No. 1 singles, Miller has gone a combined 4-1 in singles and doubles in the three dual meets this season.
Despite the success for the Jumbos this fall, they will be putting in a great deal of additional work to get ready for the main part of their schedule during the spring.
"We will be working out and practicing in preparation for a great spring," Stewart said. "With hard work, we'll have one."
