On Saturday afternoon, with sounds of the Spring Fling concert in the background, the women's tennis team ended its regular season on a high note with a decisive 6−3 rout of Bowdoin. The win came days after the Jumbos moved into the national top 15 in the latest ITA poll with a No. 11 ranking.
"It was a great match for our last home match before going into NESCAC play," senior tri−captain Laura Hoguet said. "The team played with great focus, especially given the circumstances of Spring Fling."
After dropping two of its last three team matches, the Jumbos' first−seeded doubles team of junior tri−captain Julia Browne and senior tri−captain Meghan McCooey returned to normalcy with a quick 8−0 victory. First−years Lindsay Katz and Janice Lam also cruised to an 8−4 finish at the No. 2 pairing, while Hoguet and junior Hillary Rosen lost a close 8−5 match at the No. 3 spot.
"[Meghan and I] had two tough losses to Williams and Amherst … We just really needed to build up our confidence again," Browne said. "We feel like we were able to do that on Saturday."
Heading into singles with a 2−1 advantage, it was smooth sailing for the Jumbos as Brown, McCooey and Lam notched easy two−set wins at first, second and fifth seed, respectively. Katz and junior Edwina Stewart each faced a grueling three−set match at the third and fourth seeds, respectively, with Stewart pulling out a hard−fought win. Sophomore Jennifer LaCara fell just short of her opponent at the No. 6 spot to the tune of a 6−4, 6−3 decision.
"We were able to put into play what we've been working on in practice," Hoguet said. "As a result, we gained a lot of confidence."
The regular season victory improved the Jumbos' record to 13−5 overall and 7−2 in NESCAC play. Although the official playoff match−ups won't be announced until later this week, the Jumbos are more than ready for the postseason.
"We're hoping to win NESCACs," McCooey said. "We've had some tough losses lately but we definitely have the potential to win, and we're looking forward to a great weekend."
Ranked as of April 29 No.11 in the nation and with only two NESCAC losses to their name throughout the season, the Jumbos will look to continue the success that they have had this year, and believe that they can contend with the Div. III elite if they keep up their intensity and focus.
"We have a lot of confidence in our game so far," Browne said. "We don't need to do anything different."
"We're just going to continue to sharpen our game," Hoguet added. "We're taking it one match, one point at a time."
Saturday's win also the marked the team's annual Senior Day. Seniors McCooey, Hoguet and Erica Miller were honored by their teammates as they played their last regular season match as Jumbos.
"It was bittersweet," McCooey said. "Sad because we've had such great times on these courts, but exciting that we had a great match and were able to go out with a big win on Spring Fling day."
The seniors will have one more chance to compete as Jumbos alongside their teammates this weekend as they begin the NESCAC Tournament at Amherst, where they could have a chance to unseat Williams, the defending national champion, or the host Lord Jeffs, the defending conference champion.
"We'll keep working on the things we need to and just get hyped up for this weekend," Hoguet said.
