Sophomore Julia Browne and junior captain Meghan McCooey of the women's tennis team will both be in action today when the National Small College Championships begin in Mobile, Ala.
Browne is the No. 1 in the singles draw, which features the winners of the eight ITA regional tournaments held across the country in late September. The New England champ will kick off first-round play today with a battle against freshman Kalla Schaefer of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 10:30 a.m.
"I feel really honored to be able to go to this tournament," Browne said. "As far as being seeded first, it doesn't really mean that much because there [are] only eight people in their draw, and all eight of them won their regional tournaments. The fact that I'm seeded first doesn't mean I'm better than anyone else. Yes, it's nice when people expect you to win, but it also gives you a little extra pressure. I'm just going to do my best and try to take advantage of the opportunity."
The roles will be reversed for Browne in the doubles draw, where she and her partner, McCooey, will face off against the top-seeded duo of junior Lauren Caire and senior Katie Tabb of Washington and Lee at 2:30 p.m. Unlike Caire and Tabb, a seasoned doubles tandem that reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships during the spring, Browne and McCooey have only been paired together since the beginning of this season. Their inexperience as a team hasn't hurt them so far, however, as the duo has lost just two of 11 matches this fall.
Recent history might also suggest that Tufts could give the Generals' pair a tougher-than-expected fight. In the first round of the NCAA singles championships last May, McCooey came from behind to upset the then-second-seeded Tabb 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 as part of a tournament run that saw McCooey reach the semifinals.
"Meghan and Julia are capable of beating any team out there as long as they continue to be aggressors, go for their shots and get to net," coach Kate Bayard said. "One thing that's going to help them is that they won't be intimidated by the fact that they'll be playing the top seed.
"It's going to be exciting to see," she continued. "I know they're up against a really strong team, but if Meghan and Julia continue to play the way they've been playing, it's going to be a great match that could go either way."
