As the old saying goes, the third time is often the charm. Unfortunately for the women's squash team (6-14), this adage didn't prove true over the weekend, as the Jumbos were downed 7-2 by Amherst on Sunday in the final of the Howe Cup-Walker Division Championship for their third loss to the Lord Jeffs this season.
Despite the disappointment of falling in the final, the team was pleased with its overall results, which included quality wins over Vassar on Saturday and Franklin and Marshall on Friday.
The Jumbos entered the tournament -- the year-end playoff for teams ranked No. 17 through 24 in the country -- as the No. 2 seed and were determined to perform well enough to hold on to their No. 18 national ranking.
"It was a very good way to end the season," senior tri-captain Simone Grant said. "It was the best we've done in many years and the first time we've made the finals [during my tenure]. I think [our success] was based on our high expectations for ourselves. We knew it would be tough and we played some really strong teams, but we maintained our positive attitude and kept our focus.
"I'd never gotten a trophy before, and we got a small one," Grant continued. "It's always nice to get a trophy."
Heading into Sunday's final against Amherst, expectations were ripe for a tight match, as the most recent contest between the two squads had been an exhilaratingly close 5-4 affair earlier this month. But Amherst, a young team featuring just two upperclassmen, was sharper, finishing off six of its seven wins in straight sets.
"Amherst is always tough," Grant said. "It seems like every year it's them against us, and they're always a strong team."
Highlights for Tufts included victories by two young players -- sophomore No. 3 Valerie Koo and freshman No. 4 Mercedes Barba -- who each recorded four-set victories playing in the top half of the ladder.
"[The players] wanted to play hard," coach Doug Eng said. "I think they thought Amherst would be a better team than the one they lost 5-4 to because they had another player, but we tried to get that out of their heads and just play. It could have been 6-3, or 5-4 would have been nice. But we played well."
On Saturday, the Jumbos advanced to the final with a 6-3 victory over No. 3-seeded Vassar, arguably Tufts' most impressive win of the season. The team was buoyed by impressive straight-set performances by Koo, Grant and junior Katie Stork, who rolled past freshman Nina Punukollu with a mixture of defensive lobs and attacking shots. But the star of the day was senior tri-captain Jessica Herrmann, who won an epic five-set match at No. 5. Herrmann displayed deft use of the drop shot, a tactic the team was been working on in practice, to win the final two sets and take the victory.
"Jessica played so well against Vassar," Grant said. "When she was down in the third, she just said 'I'll win this' and was so determined. It was really inspiring how she didn't give in. She worked so hard to get her fitness and game back after breaking her rib earlier in the season."
"She played a very heady match," Eng added. "It was a nice win. Her opponent may have been more athletic or skilled, but she played to her strengths and attacked well with her kills and volley drop shots."
In its first-round match the day before, Tufts defeated Franklin and Marshall 5-4, a close win that gave the Jumbos confidence heading into the semifinals. The match included a key victory by first-year Alix Michael, who pulled out a win in four sets, including a 10-8 score in the final set.
"The matches against Vassar and [Franklin and Marshall] were pretty much unknowns," Eng said. "There was a lot of equality in the [Walker] division, so even though we were seeded higher, we still had to play hard to beat them."
Despite coming up short in the finals, Grant was pleased with the team's overall results and is hopeful for the team's chances next year.
"We improved mentally over the course of the season and we maintained our ranking," Grant said. "Earlier in the season, we sometimes felt defeated before we even stepped on the court. But by the end we were maintaining our positive attitude. The team is losing four seniors so it could be tough next year, but if they work hard, just like this year, then maybe not. We didn't think we could do as well this season."
