The women's tennis team gave nationally ranked No. 6 Amherst a serious run for its money yesterday evening at the Gantcher Center. But after opening up a 4-3 lead, the No. 11 Jumbos dropped matches at fifth and sixth singles en route to a narrow 5-4 setback, the team's first NESCAC loss of the season.
"I was anticipating that it would be close either way, win or lose," coach Kate Bayard said. "It was a match that could have gone either way. I felt really good about [yesterday]. I felt like everyone put everything on the line and played with a lot of guts, and I'm really proud of how the team played."
The outcome was decided with a sixth singles matchup between Tufts freshman Jen Lavet and Amherst first-year Laura Danzig. In just her second contest since returning from an illness, Lavet was up a break in the first set before Danzig stormed back to take the set 7-5. Danzig then clinched the match in Amherst's favor with a 6-1 victory in the second set.
"Her opponent came up with some huge shots," Bayard said. "When Jen was up, Laura just started playing fearless tennis and made some amazing clears and brought it back. I was proud of how Jen did out there -- that's only her second match back, and she did everything she could. She put it on the line."
A tight match at second doubles also proved pivotal to the final outcome. Trailing the Jeffs tandem of senior tri-captain Anuju Ankola and sophomore Amelia Bell 3-0, junior Erica Miller and freshman Jen Lavet roared back, taking five of the next eight games to close within 6-5. But Amherst broke Miller's serve in the subsequent game before closing out the match.
For the third straight match, Amherst played without junior Brittany Berckes, a fixture at the top of the Jeffs' singles and doubles lineups and the fifth-ranked player in the nation. As a result, Amherst did not feature its typical first doubles tandem of Berckes and sophomore Natasha Brown, who split a pair of matches against Tufts' top team of sophomore Julia Browne and junior captain Meghan McCooey during tournament play in the fall.
The Jumbos instead squared off against a pairing of Brown and sophomore Carlissa King, who held their own initially, overcoming an early break to tie the match at two. But the Jumbo duo dominated from then on, winning each of the next six games to remain undefeated in dual-match play this season.
"We came out a little bit tentative, and they hit some good shots," Browne said. "Then we started being aggressive and coming to the net more and playing our game. We really got more into the match and were more focused and confident, and that's why we ended up winning."
The Jeffs, however, walked away with a 2-1 edge in doubles, recording an 8-2 victory at the third spot over the pairing of senior Mari Homma and sophomore Edwina Stewart.
The Jumbos did not go quietly, fighting back during singles play to take a brief 4-3 lead. Tufts went ahead when McCooey won a second-set tiebreaker over junior Jill Wexler 7-4 to clinch a dramatic victory at second singles.
"She stepped up and played aggressive tennis, and that was the key for her," Bayard said. "Instead of just rallying, she played smart, aggressive tennis. That was an impressive win for sure for her."
The Jumbos also got a win at first singles from Browne, who responded to an early 2-0 deficit by winning seven consecutive games before her opponent, King, retired with a right leg injury. In the No. 3 spot, Miller downed Brown 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, dealing the first-year just her second loss of the spring season.
But the Jeffs controlled the bottom half of the singles ladder, taking straight-set victories at fourth and fifth singles before Danzig sealed the deal for Amherst.
The schedule will not get any kinder to Tufts, which will hit the road on Saturday for a showdown against defending national champion Williams. The Ephs appear to be as strong as ever, recording victories over five ranked teams during a spring break trip to Georgia. But coming off a close call against Amherst, Tufts feels it will be up for the challenge.
"Even though we lost and we're all really upset about it, there was a lot to be proud of," Browne said. "It's the closest we've been [against Amherst] since I've been here, and it was really a matter of a couple points that really decided it. We've just got to practice hard to go against Williams on Saturday."
