In Wednesday's match down the Red Line, the 14-2 MIT Engineers threw a wrench in the nationally ranked No. 30 Jumbos' plan to end the regular season on a high note, beating Tufts 6-3.
With MIT recording its sole losses on the season against NESCAC teams Bates and Bowdoin, the Tufts squad aimed to make it a trifecta and simultaneously notch a 10th win to tie its 2001-02 season win total. The renewed strength of the Engineers squad, however, kept Tufts at bay from the onset.
In the decision, the unranked Engineers took an early lead, pulling off a 3-0 tilt in their favor by the conclusion of doubles play. The unfamiliar surface of MIT's indoor courts, while not the sole reason for the lopsided doubles outcome, compromised the play of some of Tufts' players.
"MIT's indoor courts are very slow," said sophomore Tony Carucci, who lost in No. 3 doubles alongside freshman Sam Laber 8-4. "In doubles, [Laber] and I found out pretty quickly that the serves weren't particularly effective ... It's not that we played poorly, but the court just didn't suit our doubles game, where strength of serve plays a larger role."
With the addition of top recruits to MIT's roster this season, it was difficult for Tufts' players to set the pace of their contests. MIT freshmen Brian Wee and Samuel Harmatz competed on separate teams in doubles action. Wee and senior David Iba trumped junior tri-captain Dan Landers and freshman Morrie Bossen 8-4 in No. 2 doubles, and Carucci and Laber fell in the No. 3 match 8-4 to Harmatz and senior Peden Nichols.
"MIT has four-star recruits, which is just about the strongest kind of recruit you can get in Div. III tennis," Landers said. "MIT got a lot better from last year to this year. While we played closely with them in doubles, they outplayed us on some key points."
Tufts still had a chance to salvage the match in singles play, needing a win in five out of the six matches. In the No. 1 match, junior tri-captain Jon Trott found difficulty adjusting to his opponent's play in the first set, but turned the tide to win in the second. Despite his aggressive approach, Trott fell in the tiebreaker 10-4.
"In the first set, he played very loose," coach Doug Eng said. "But in the second set, he buckled down and played very aggressive. He did well on the volleys, and that helped him pull out the second set. He played very well, and it's unfortunate that the tiebreaker didn't work in his favor."
"Trott had a rough first set because his opponent got to every ball," Landers added. "When Trott changed his strategy and started attacking a lot more instead of trying to keep up with volleys, he was more successful and came close to winning the match."
In the No. 2 singles match, Fountain bested his Engineer opponent, but wins by Harmatz and Wee in the No. 3 and 4 positions was all MIT needed to claim victory.
"[Sophomore No. 3] Andrew Rosen and [sophomore No. 4] Bryan Wilner played very steady," Eng said. "We knew that the Nos. 3 and 4 singles were going to be a problem with MIT's players, but [Rosen] and [Wilner] still went out there and played well."
Picking up the remaining Tufts victories of the match on the end of the singles ladder, the Jumbo squad showcased its depth and ability to pull out wins in multiple positions on the lineup. And while Tufts' fate had already been sealed, Carucci and freshman Garrett Schuman showed resolve in playing out their matches to their favor.
Sinking to 9-7 on the season, Tufts will not likely earn a NESCAC or NCAA berth, according to Eng. Compounding the team's disappointment is the possibility that Tufts' national ranking may be stripped after losing to regionally ranked No. 9 MIT.
As the team will not graduate any of its players, it will look to consistently hold its own in a conference in which five of its NESCAC competitors are ranked in the top 20 in the nation.
"We need to work on our consistency, especially against tough teams," Rosen said. "We're lucky to have a very deep team, as you can see by our ability to switch up the doubles lineup and still be competitive. That also means that we won't have an issue next year because we have a talented team, and I expect that our underclassmen teammates, who played great this season, will play a role in the success of the team in the years to come."
"The team should be better next year, but it comes down to how good you want to be," Eng said. "I think this team could've been 25th in the country. I think we can do better -- we have to work harder. If people improve on what they need to work on, we're going to come out a stronger team. We could crack the top 20, but it comes down to how much the team wants it."
