The last 12 days have probably felt like something of an exhibition for the women's tennis team.
Of the Jumbos' last six matches, not one — not even Tuesday's contest against national No. 28 Brandeis — was even slightly competitive. In that span, Tufts did not play in anything closer than last Sunday's 8−1 victory over Hamilton, recording five 9−0 shutouts and sweeping all 36 singles matches along the way.
But now, the fun begins.
After fattening up on weaker opponents for much of April, the Jumbos are set to begin a season−ending stretch that, over the next two weeks, will pit them against four of the nation's best teams. It all starts Saturday at 1 p.m., when national No. 17 Tufts hosts two−time defending NCAA champion Williams in a showdown that will help measure how well it stacks up against truly elite competition.
"We're all just so excited because this is everything we've worked towards," senior tri−captain Meghan McCooey said. "We feel confident, we're ready and we want this competition. It's been great to build our confidence by playing the teams we've played over the past few weeks — now we're hoping everything we've worked for is going to pay off on Saturday."
The Jumbos had one of their final tune−ups for the Ephs on Tuesday afternoon, when they trampled Brandeis 9−0 in their first dual match of the year against a ranked Div. III opponent. As has been the case for much of the last two weeks, Tufts was unchallenged throughout the singles and doubles lineups. Freshman Lindsay Katz had a virtually perfect afternoon, earning a love−and−love win at third singles and teaming with classmate Janice Lam to post a shutout victory at second doubles.
"I think it was a good confidence boost for everyone just because the other matches have been easier," Katz said. "This was a team that we knew was going to be a little more challenging. It's definitely great to know that we can beat a nationally ranked team just like we beat the other teams that maybe weren't as strong."
After hosting Wellesley in a non−conference tilt tomorrow, Tufts will turn its attention to Williams. The NESCAC rivals last met on April 11 of last year, with the Ephs coming away from a spirited contest with a 6−3 victory. What stood out about that match was how competitively the Jumbos played behind their lineup anchors, McCooey and junior tri−captain Julia Browne. One of Tufts' three victories, for instance, came at third doubles, while at fifth singles, then−freshman Jenn LaCara pushed her opponent to three sets.
Now, with the Jumbos arguably the most well−rounded they've been in a number of years, they'll look to tip the balance at bottom of the singles and doubles lineups in their favor.
"We definitely have a lot more depth than we did last year," McCooey said. "We're a stronger team altogether, and we're that much more mentally tough. We have last year's experience behind us, and we're really gunning for them this year. We want to beat them badly, and we know that we have the potential to do it."
If Saturday's match is ultimately decided on depth, then Tufts' trio of freshmen will almost certainly play a big role in determining the final outcome.
Katz, Lam and classmate Lauren Hollender have been thrust right into the fire in their first season on the Hill, and all have risen to the challenge. The Jumbo first−years have won all 38 dual−match singles sets they've played against Div. III opponents this year, while Katz and Lam have dropped only eight games in their last six matches at second doubles.
The next challenge for Tufts' budding stars will be to continue their success against superior competition.
"Our freshmen have played such a key role in our success thus far," McCooey said. "All three of them are such tough competitors out there — they're so mentally tough, they fight, they love to battle and they're in it 'til the end every single match. I just know that they're going to come out ready to play on Saturday, just like they have all season."
At the very least, the Jumbos' relatively soft dual−match schedule allowed Katz, Lam and Hollender to gain plenty of experience and confidence in anticipation of the team's difficult upcoming slate.
"I know especially for me and the other two freshmen, it was nice to get some matches under our belts, just because this is our first college season," Katz said. "It's been nice to have confidence that we can beat other teams before we have to play these four hard matches. I think it was just good for experience and getting warmed up.
"We've all improved so much since the fall, especially with our doubles," she continued. "We're all really excited to see how we'll do against the tougher opponents."
In spite of its anticipation for Saturday's match, Tufts isn't overlooking tomorrow's contest against Wellesley. Though they aren't nationally ranked, the Blue are historically a major contender in the Northeast region and this year boast strength at the very top of their singles and doubles lineups.
Still, Wellesley is just the opening act for Saturday's main event, one that could very well help launch Tufts toward some of its lofty goals for 2010.
"I'm not really sure what it was like in the past, but I know our goal for this season is to win NESCACs," Katz said. "If we're playing our best and we're focused, I'm confident that we can beat Williams. We're definitely capable of doing it — we just have to bring our ‘A' game."
