Over the first two weeks of April, the women's tennis team proved that it is light years ahead of the competition at the bottom of its conference.
When it comes to some of the truly elite programs in the country, however, the Jumbos apparently still have some catching up to do.
Despite close matches at several spots in the lineup, national No. 17 Tufts dropped a 7−2 decision to No. 2 Williams on Saturday afternoon at Gantcher Center. The Jumbos came into the match having been virtually flawless in dual matches against Div. III opponents so far this season, posting shutout victories in all but one contest. But they had yet to face anyone in the class of the Ephs, the two−time defending NCAA champions and runners−up of the last four NESCAC Tournaments.
Against the stiffer competition, Tufts put up a stronger fight than the final score would indicate, but it wasn't nearly enough.
"If you break it down match by match and you look at the scores, it was a battle, and anytime there's a match like that, it ends up coming down a lot to which team really truly believes more and is really able to continue to operate in the moment and play each point the same — Williams did a better job of that," coach Kate Bayard said. "It was a great match, and I'm really proud of the team. Hopefully, we're only going to take away confidence from this match."
The Ephs inflated their final margin of victory in part by pulling out two tight matches on the singles end. At the No. 2 spot, Jumbo senior tri−captain Meghan McCooey gutted out a second−set tiebreaker against defending ITA New England champion Kristin Alotta before falling in the third set, 6−1. In No. 5 singles, meanwhile, freshman Janice Lam rolled over Williams first−year Nancy Worley in the first set 6−1, but wound up losing the match in three after dropping the decisive tiebreaker 13−11.
"Honestly, it was two big mistakes that lost the match for me," Lam said. "We were both determined to win each point and run after every ball, and in the end, she just got a couple more balls back than I did.
"We were both kind of playing the same game, and it was a matter of who could outlast the other on every single point," she continued. "Every point was a 50−ball rally until someone missed or someone hit a winner on someone. It was a test of will and strength and who wasn't tired and who was in better shape."
But while the Jumbos were unable to win some of the critical points on the singles side, the opposite was true at second doubles. In the highlight of the day for Tufts, the tandem of Lam and freshman Lindsay Katz knocked off Williams' duo of Alotta and junior Nikki Reich in thrilling fashion, marking the Jumbos' lone doubles victory on the afternoon.
The Tufts pair fell behind 4−1 in the deciding tiebreaker, in part because Lam hit Katz on the back of the neck with a serve and subsequently double−faulted. Seemingly poised to go down to the region's 11th−ranked doubles team, Lam and Katz fought back, winning six of the final seven points to clinch the biggest victory of their young careers.
"It was such a great win for us," Lam said. "It's definitely been the toughest match of the season so far, and just being able to pull it out was a big confidence boost for the two of us."
"Watching Janice and Lindsay play in that match, especially in that tiebreak, was inspiring for the whole team to watch, especially coming from two freshmen who haven't played that many college matches and who don't have that much experience playing in these tough doubles matches," junior tri−captain Julia Browne added. "It was really amazing, and we were so proud of them."
The other win for Tufts came at first singles, during which — for the second straight year — Browne turned a marquee matchup against Williams senior Grace Baljon into a completely one−sided affair. With her dominant 6−2, 6−2 victory, Browne improved to 3−0 lifetime against the nation's current 11th−ranked player, with each win coming in straight sets.
"I've been working a lot on my slice and my movement, and I just seemed to be able to get a lot more balls back than she's used to against other people," said Browne, ranked seventh nationally in singles. "I think that my consistency and my movement was really what determined how I played and ultimately determined why I won."
The Jumbos didn't fare as well in the other premier matchup of the day, a showdown at first doubles between Browne and McCooey of Tufts and Baljon and sophomore Taylor French of Williams. The rematch of the ITA New England championship went to the Ephs, who pulled away by a score of 8−3.
Across dual match and tournament play, Browne and McCooey hold a lifetime mark of 42−10, but after Saturday, they are just 2−3 against doubles teams from Williams.
"We started out pretty slow," Browne said. "We couldn't really get much rhythm, and we couldn't find a way to throw off the other team. But to give credit to them, they played a really smart, solid doubles match, and judging by the way that they played, they definitely deserved to win on that day."
After battling an injury for much of the spring, senior Erica Miller returned and played with freshman Lauren Hollender at the third doubles position. The first−time pairing put forth a respectable effort against Williams' Caroline Capute and Lucy Marchese, falling 8−5.
The match showed what the Jumbos are capable of at the bottom of the doubles lineup, especially with Miller in the fold.
"At all three spots, I'd like to think that we really have the ability to win against any team in doubles — I certainly think that's doable," Bayard said. "At No. 3, we're playing around with it now that [Miller] is starting to get healthy. She's a great player. The prospect of getting her back in the lineup is exciting, and it's nice now that we have so many options."
Tufts gets no respite from the stiff competition, as the team will travel today to take on national No. 1 Amherst.
