Heading into the weekend the women's squash team was in an early-season slump, having lost its previous two matches by a combined 18-0.
But with an all-day series of matches at Harvard on Saturday, the Jumbos dismissed any and all notions of a slow season start, emerging with a perfect 3-0 record at the Boston Shootout, reversing lopsided 2006-2007 losses to a pair of NESCAC rivals, and beating Bowdoin for the first time in two decades.
Tufts topped the Polar Bears 5-4 in the early match on Saturday and beat Middlebury 8-1 later in the day before routing Northeastern 8-1 in Sunday's action.
"This weekend was really important," senior co-captain Rebecca Rice said. "I think it set the tone for the season because we showed what we're all about and what we can do. Against Bowdoin we came out with a lot of fire and we really wanted it. It's exciting."
"It was great," junior Victoria Barba added. "We have a winning record now. Especially to beat Bowdoin and Middlebury, who we thought going in were going to be tough, it was awesome."
The wins over two NESCAC rivals marked a huge turnaround from last year, when Tufts lost 8-1 to Middlebury and 9-0 to Bowdoin. It was the depth of the Jumbos' lineup, not a star-studded top of the roster, that got the win. Against Bowdoin, Tufts lost the No. 1 through No. 4 matches but got victories from its five through nine.
"We're much stronger at the bottom of our lineup this year," junior Jessica Hermann said. "That's where we won the matches against Middlebury and Bowdoin. It's where we need to win because we don't recruit as much as some of the really good schools we play ... so they have really strong No. 1s and No. 2s."
"Our ladder is really deep this year," Rice added. "Our number five through nine spots are consistently playing well, so the bottom of our lineup is a big advantage."
Playing in that No. 5 spot was freshman Valerie Koo, who won arguably the weekend's biggest match. With losses in the top four spots and wins in the bottom four, Koo's straight-win victory over Bowdoin junior Maddie McQueeney tipped the scales in the Jumbos' favor.
After struggling against Williams and Dartmouth, two teams that finished in the top 10 in the College Squash Association rankings last season, the team's improved play this weekend will build the Jumbos' confidence heading into the rest of the season. The Jumbos' ability to keep that confidence in check will be key in their next few games.
"We shouldn't get a big head about [this weekend]," Barba said. "Against Northeastern we had a few four-game matches which were unexpected. We are playing much better than in the past, but we can't get ahead of ourselves. It's not going to be handed to us; we need to keep working hard."
This weekend featured a standout performance from senior co-captain Micela Leis, who won seven straight games without losing a point. Tufts also welcomed the return of Rice, who had missed the previous two matches with a back strain, for the Saturday matches at the No. 1 spot. Though the senior did not compete against Northeastern, her presence was a welcome lift for the Jumbos over the weekend and allowed everyone to play in a more comfortable slot.
Rice fell in straight sets to Bowdoin's freshman phenom, No. 1 Lauren Gesswein, but rallied from two games down to take Middlebury's No. 1, junior Sarah Hatfield, to five games before falling 9-6, 9-2, 7-9, 3-9, 9-5.
"Rebecca played amazing," Barba said. "She had a surprising five-game match against Middlebury, where everyone was cheering for her. Even though she lost that match, the team spirit really helped us."
"It was great," Leis added. "We all fought hard. Even in our easy matches we still played hard. It showed how strong of a team we are and it gave us a lot of confidence."
The Jumbos have one match left before winter break, a home matchup with the 1-0 Amherst Lord Jeffs on Thursday. If this weekend was any indication, the team could be a force to be reckoned with in 2008.
"Our mental state is strong," Hermann said. "We hadn't come close to beating Bowdoin in the last six years and the confidence from that match is what we needed. If we just continue to go back and work on our fundamentals, life after winter break should be exciting."
