The nationally ranked No. 12 women's tennis team made easy work of Bates and Colby this weekend, upping the Jumbos' winning streak to four. The 8-1 and 9-0 victories put Tufts at 6-3 overall, and 4-2 this spring, with both losses coming against upper-division opponents.
The Jumbos made a smooth transition from their Florida play during spring recess to the indoor courts in Maine, beating Bates soundly on Sunday. The Bobcats got out to a good start, winning the first-doubles match 9-8 over senior co-captain Andrea Cenko and junior Mari Homma. The Jumbos, however, proceeded to pick up both of the other doubles matches and make a clean singles sweep.
"They were definitely feisty and they had some good players, so we had to not get ahead of ourselves and play our game," sophomore Meghan McCooey said.
Cenko and Homma both rebounded to take straight-set singles victories 6-1, 7-6 (6) and 6-2, 7-5, respectively. McCooey said that she prefers to play outdoors; however, she didn't seem bothered by the indoor surface, making work of her opponents at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-0, and 8-0 at No. 2 doubles with her partner sophomore Erica Miller.
"I was really focused during that match," McCooey said. "Even when I got ahead, I didn't think about anything but the point at hand...I think I was returning well in my match, trying to be more aggressive."
"McCooey played really well," freshman Julia Browne said. "She won both her singles and doubles, and at the Bates match, she got the job done really fast."
Browne also impressed in her return to match-play. She had been out sick the beginning of the spring season, but stepped in at first-singles over the weekend for the first time in her collegiate career.
"I'm really glad she's back," Cenko said. "She's an awesome addition to the team and a big morale boost."
Browne dropped the first set 6-4 to Bates senior Cecilia Grissa, who was also returning from an injury. The Tufts freshman then rallied back to win the second set 6-3 and finish strongly by winning the final set 6-0. Against Colby, Browne had no need for a comeback, as she didn't drop a game at first-singles or third-doubles with freshman Edwina Stewart.
"We were really focused, and never lost sight of taking control of every point," Browne said. "Then I carried that momentum into singles, and when I got ahead I didn't allow myself to get distracted by the courts or people or anything going on around me."
Saturday's match against Colby was never in doubt, as only one Jumbo lost a set the entire day. Homma dropped her opening set 4-6, but won the second 6-4 before sealing the victory with a 10-2 super-tiebreak, making Tufts 9-0 on the day.
"Homma played really well," Browne said. "She had two tough singles matches that she pulled out. Even if she wasn't playing her best, she found a way to win."
On Saturday, the squad travels to Brandeis for an out-of-conference matchup. The complete focus of the team, however, is now on the team's first home match of the spring season on Friday. The Jumbos will face No. 22 ranked Bowdoin, who holds an equal 4-2 record. At this time last year, Tufts was in a similar position. Coming off a five-match winning streak, Tufts was upended 7-2 by the Polar Bears.
"I think [Bowdoin's] team is a little bit weaker this year, but in the NESCAC anybody can beat anybody," Cenko said. "We've been playing for the last three years and you get familiar with all the teams. I feel we have a good chance to beat them."
"I know that they both had strong teams in the past," McCooey added. "Bowdoin beat us last year, but they're definitely beatable. We're just going to have to practice hard."
