After a five−month hiatus, the men's tennis team returns to action this spring looking to continue its impressive play from the fall. In spring 2009, a Jumbos team featuring no seniors ultimately finished with a 9−7 record, including a 3−5 mark within the NESCAC. This year's unit returns with an entire roster full of players who hope that an extra year of experience will lead to more success in 2010.
"I think our expectations every year are pretty similar," senior co−captain Dan Landers said. "We want to compete and get ranked nationally, and we want to be able to make a run for NESCACs. We are just going to have to go out and get wins against some very good NESCAC opponents, and hopefully, if we are able to get a few good NESCAC wins and some good out−of−conference victories, we can get our first at−large bid to the NCAA tournament in a while."
The Jumbos will continue to look toward senior co−captains Landers and Brian Wilner for leadership.
And for the three freshmen on the 2010 roster, having a fall season to get situated has helped them prepare for the more intense spring schedule.
"I think the fall season is basically a chance to test things out, especially for the freshman," first−year Andrew Lutz said. "It helps to get accustomed to being on the first team and to get acquainted with the guys on the team, to see them play and get to know them. Team unity is a major part of our success."
"Every group of freshmen is different, but I think that this year's group is great and they have a lot of potential," Landers added. "I think it might be a bit early to see if they are going to start in either singles or doubles, but I think that they will make a positive impact."
The Jumbos hope rookies Mark Westerfield, Ben Barad and Lutz will provide the team with some added talent and firepower. During the fall season, the trio excelled in both singles and doubles. Lutz and Barad in particular were effective, combining in doubles wins against both Babson and Salve Regina. While it remains to be seen where coach Doug Eng will place the freshmen in the lineup, it will likely be in some of the lower singles and doubles spots on the ladder — areas in which close matchups are often decided one way or another.
"We'll see which one of us starts, but it's looking like it'll be in a lower position," Lutz said. "When it comes down to big matches, that's who's the pressure's on, and we're going to try to step up."
Last season, the Jumbos were also led by a strong freshman class in this year's current sophomores Kai Victoria, Morrie Bossen and Sam Laber. These two strong recruiting classes make Tufts one of the younger teams in the league, and the combination of the talented youth and experienced upperclassmen bodes well for the team's prospects in 2010.
But within the NESCAC, routinely one of the most competitive Div. III tennis conferences in the country, the Jumbos know that they have to step up their game. Last season, Tufts was consistently ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) top 30 and in the top ten of the highly competitive northeastern division. In the rankings from Nov. 2009, the ITA had six NESCAC teams in its top 20, with Middlebury in fourth, Williams in seventh, Amherst in 10th, Bowdoin in 13th, Trinity in 17th and Bates in 20th.
With this level of competition, the Jumbos will face an onslaught of tough opponents, starting with Middlebury and Bowdoin at home in early April. A win over one of these two NESCAC juggernauts would be key and would go a long way for Tufts to state its case as one of the top teams in the league. A pair of losses, on the other hand, could place the Jumbos immediately in the conference cellar.
In order to avoid such a start, Tufts insists that it must get better in certain crucial areas in the upcoming weeks.
"I think between last year and this year, we continued to improve on our doubles," Landers said. "Hopefully we can avoid the troubles that plagued us two years ago when we went into every match with a deficit because of our doubles. If we are able to continue improving our doubles so we are not pressured into having to win every singles match it would be a great help."
Before the NESCAC season begins, however, the Jumbos start their season during spring break with matches against Vassar College on March 27 and Stevens College the following day. Then the team will open its NESCAC season at home against the formidable top−five ranked Middlebury squad with aspirations of a gigantic upset. Ben Kochman contributed reporting to this article.
