Women's Tennis | Tufts mounts challenge, falls short against No. 1 Williams

    The women's tennis team might have come out of its matchups with Amherst and Williams last week with losses, but one thing is clear: The gap between the Jumbos and two of the elite programs in the country isn't all that wide.
    That fact was on display Saturday afternoon in Williamstown, Mass., when the nationally ranked No. 14 Jumbos battled the No. 1 Ephs to a narrow 6-3 setback and fell to 4-2 in NESCAC play on the season. In a contest that was closer than the final score indicated, Williams needed slim victories at first doubles and fifth singles to help tip the final score in its favor.
    "I was very proud of how our team played," coach Kate Bayard said. "We saw Williams win the championship last year, and we respect them a lot as a team. Our whole team played with a new level of composure and spirit on Saturday. I know we'll make great gains out of both of these losses."
    A highly-anticipated matchup atop the doubles lineup was as closely contested as advertised, with Williams' duo of senior co-captain Cary Gibson and sophomore Nikki Reich edging Tufts' tandem of sophomore Julia Browne and junior captain Meghan McCooey, 8-6. In a contest featuring the top two ranked teams in the Northeast region, Gibson and Reich improved to 2-0 lifetime against the Jumbos' top pairing, which lost for the first time in eight career dual-match appearances.
    "I think it was a good match overall, but we were just a little bit more hesitant," McCooey said. "We let a couple games get away, and that was enough to just give them the win. You just have to be on every single shot and every point against a team like that. They were just a little bit better than us that day."
    The win sent Williams into singles play with a 2-1 lead. But both McCooey and Browne rebounded in impressive fashion, taking down the second- and third-ranked players in the nation, respectively, to net the Jumbos their final two victories of the afternoon. At the top spot, Browne turned a potential showdown against Grace Baljon into a one-sided affair, blowing past the Ephs junior 6-1, 6-0 and improving to 4-0 against top-10 opponents across dual-match and tournament play this season.
    McCooey, meanwhile, battled her way to a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory over Gibson at second singles, avenging a loss she suffered in the semifinals of last year's NCAA Championships.
    "Win or lose the doubles, [Browne and McCooey] would have had the same level of intensity, and that's one of the things that makes both of them so dependable out there," Bayard said. "They're both so good at staying in the moment. [Browne] is always focused, but Saturday she was in a complete zone. [McCooey] showed the type of level-headedness and confidence she knew she needed in order to win. I was proud of both of them."
    Buoyed by the victories at the top of its singles lineup, Tufts was well within striking distance, trimming Williams' lead to 4-3. But the Ephs closed the match with wins at fifth and sixth singles to account for the final margin. The Jumbos didn't go quietly, however, as freshman Jenn LaCara mounted a serious challenge against junior Ashley Parsons at No. 5, taking the first set before Parsons rallied to win the final two.
    Tufts' first win of the day came at third doubles, where the first-time pairing of junior Erica Miller and sophomore Hillary Rosen knocked off Williams' duo of freshman Kristin Alotta and junior Genny Loomis, 8-6. Against a team as deep as the Ephs, it was a particularly noteworthy accomplishment for the Jumbos to play competitively at the bottom of both the singles and doubles lineups.
    "I knew that we had a good shot [at the] top half of the lineup, but I think it really showcased what the team is all about to have our No. 3 doubles team coming through," Bayard said. "To have Hillary, someone who generally hasn't been starting much, come through and just play huge tennis and pull through, I think that really shows the strength of our team."
    After battling through its toughest competition of the season, Tufts will next take the court on Thursday, when it hosts NESCAC rival Wesleyan before finishing up its home slate with a matchup against Middlebury on Saturday. Heading into its final regular season matches, the Jumbos carry with them extra confidence from their performances over the past week.
    "I think it was great for boosting everybody's confidence to know that we can compete with the top teams in the country," McCooey said. "Now it's really sinking in that we can do it, and I feel like our whole team truly believes it. Especially with the Williams match, right down the lineup, everyone was playing with such heart and just going after their shots. I think if we keep this up, we'll start getting the wins."