The women's tennis team has spent its recent years relentlessly climbing the NCAA Div. III ladder.
Tufts was ranked in the 20s going into fall of 2006, followed by an improvement to No. 15 by the end of spring 2007, and commenced the 2007 fall season at No. 10. Since then, the Jumbos have cracked the top 10 and currently stand as the No. 9 team in Div. III.
Tufts returns most of its key players from the fall, including sophomores Meghan McCooey and Erica Miller, who will most likely be seeded first and second, respectively. Other than that, the lineup is largely undetermined, but three other starters from the fall will help to round out the singles ladder.
However, it will not all be smooth sailing for Tufts, as the spring roster is very small for a tennis team, consisting of just seven players.
Six players are required to play in every match, and the possibility of even minimal injuries to more than one player could have devastating effects for the squad as a whole. The Jumbos, however, are determined to stay healthy and not to let the small numbers affect their performance.
"In the [beginning of the] spring, we had nine, and two players decided to quit the team," coach Kate Bayard said. "There's always that [injury] concern, but we are doing the best we can to take precautions and do good stretch-downs. I am being supersensitive if they seem like they are overdoing it."
While the Jumbos are not currently battling any injuries, freshman and probable second or third singles player Julia Browne is grappling with illness and may not be able to play during the team's spring training trip, which would leave just the minimum six players on the court.
"I'm a little bit nervous because of our small numbers," sophomore co-captain Laura Hoguet said. "We are working hard but being cautious about injuries and doing everything we can to prevent them."
In addition to the lack of numbers, Tufts also has two new captains in Hoguet and senior Andrea Cenko to lead a very young team.
"Right now, with the small size of our team we really are focusing on the unity of the seven of us and on team spirit," Hoguet said. "We are an extremely determined and motivated group that is looking forward to a good season. Andrea and I just want to continue that momentum for the rest of the season."
The team will fly to Florida on Friday for a week of tennis training and competition, where it will face four squads from all three NCAA divisions, three of which they have not faced in recent history.
The trip will include the first NESCAC match of the season as Tufts will face off against Hamilton on March 21, and though Bayard believes the team is prepared, she admits that there is still some work to be done in terms of acclimating to playing outside.
"In the short term, the focus will be on adjusting to the outdoors," Bayard said. "The advantage of practicing on indoor courts is that they play faster, so the team is getting in position a lot earlier. The biggest challenge moving outdoors is the patience factor. Outdoors, the points will be longer and we'll need to be willing to stay in the points a lot longer. It is not as easy to put the ball away as it is on the indoor surface."
In addition to leaving the friendly confines of the Gantcher Center, the Jumbos will have to adjust to their small size and thus will need to reconfigure their doubles lineups.
With freshmen Hayley and Miranda Young, two of the fall's top doubles players, no longer with the team, other players will need to step up and new pairs will need to learn how to win together. With doubles making up the first awarded three points in a best-of-nine team match, it will be crucial that the Jumbos mesh into a consistent doubles lineup.
"I am focusing a lot on my doubles game," Hoguet said. "We don't even know our doubles partners right now so we are just working on our games, and we will probably be playing with new partners."
Although small and relatively young, the spring team appears to be built on enthusiasm for the sport and determination to succeed. Bayard has met with every player both individually and as a group, and players have formulated long lists of goals and strategies for them to accomplish.
"I always emphasize staying in the moment and going point by point, not allowing them to get ahead of themselves," Bayard said. "I want them to figure out what needs to be done to win an individual point and have on-court awareness, meaning that if something is not working, know how to recognize that, regroup and refocus. I want them to be their own coaches on the court."
