The women's tennis team started out its season on a strong note. But over the last week, as the level of its competition has risen, Tufts has been just a step behind.
The Jumbos dropped their second straight contest in a 6-3 match against NESCAC rival Amherst on Tuesday afternoon that was far closer than the final score indicates. After winning seven consecutive matches with six shutouts, the Jumbos' streak was broken with a conference loss to Williams before the loss to Amherst. The Lord Jeffs won their 22nd consecutive match against the Jumbos, a streak that dates as far back as 1992.
"They were very aggressive and didn't give us any opportunities," freshman Lindsay Katz said. "Amherst especially came out really strong and ready to win."
The Lord Jeffs took away the Jumbos' momentum right away with a quick sweep of all three doubles matches. Ranked No. 1 in the Northeast, Tufts' duo of junior Julia Browne and senior Meghan McCooey had an all-time 3-0 record when playing together against Amherst.
However, the Lord Jeffs duo of senior Brittany Berckes and sophomore Laura Danzig came out fighting to take a decisive 8-2 victory for Amherst over the two-time defending ITA Small College National Doubles champions. As they continued to push through each doubles lineup, Katz and first year Janice Lam gave up an 8-3 loss at the No. 2 slot, while the Jeffs kept Tufts' third doubles team of freshman Lauren Hollender and senior Erica Miller from winning a single game, breezing to an 8-0 victory.
"We definitely didn't come out to play the way we usually do," Lam said. "Amherst was more prepared than we were."
Although the sluggish start initially extinguished the Jumbos' spirits, coach Kate Bayard maintained a team policy between doubles and singles at every match. With a strong emphasis on developing the team's mental toughness and focus, the Jumbos aimed to enter the singles matches with a clear mind.
"We always have a meeting, whether we won doubles or not, and agree to completely forget about it during singles," Katz said. "We have to let it go and play our game."
"We have to play like we're up 3-0," Lam added. "Every match counts, win or lose."
The Jumbos did exactly that as they refocused and charged through three lines of singles, tying the Jeffs' singles victories on the day. Browne, the ITA's top-ranked singles player in the Northeast, notched her 15th singles win this year with a 6-0, 6-2 win at first singles over Berckes, exacting revenge for the doubles loss.
Lam and sophomore Jennifer LaCara added two more wins for the Jumbos with successful matches at fifth and sixth seeds. LaCara toughed out a grueling three-set match to finish 0-6, 6-1 and 6-4.
"We came out stronger after we neutralized, and we were able to pull off quite a few singles wins," Lam said. "We gave them a good fight."
Katz also pushed through a three-set match, falling just short of besting Amherst junior Carlissa King at the third singles spot by a score of 4-6, 7-5 and 6-4.
Although the NESCAC losses to Williams this weekend and then Amherst put a stop to the Jumbos' previous 5-0 conference record, the team firmly believes in its ability to compete at the top of the conference, especially when the tournament rolls around.
"If we had another chance, I think the results would be different," Lam said. "We're at the top, right there with them."
With just two matches left against nationally ranked Middlebury and Bowdoin in the regular season, Tufts holds an 11-5 record and a 5-2 mark in NESCAC play. Despite the recent tough losses, the Jumbos feel like they are primed to bounce back and return to their winning ways on Saturday against No. 15 Middlebury.
"We're going to flip it on our opponents and not let them get into the match from the start, like Amherst did to us," Katz said. "We're going to keep up the same mentality we've been having, taking it point by point and wanting the win."
