The women's tennis team cruised to a 9?0 victory this past weekend against Colby, putting the Jumbos at 3?3 on the season and, more importantly, 1?0 in NESCAC play.
The national No. 12 Jumbos were coming off of a challenging spring break trip, during which they dropped matches against two highly?ranked teams in Washington and Lee and Johns Hopkins. But in their home opener on Saturday, playing indoors at the Gantcher Center because of rain, the Jumbos had no problem dispatching the Colby Mules to earn their first conference victory.
Tufts dominated from top to bottom, starting in singles with junior captain Lindsay Katz, who set the tone with a 6?2, 6?1 win at the No. 1 spot.
Sophomores Eliza Flynn, Samantha Gann and Rebecca Kimmel also smashed their singles opponents, winning in straight sets in the No. 3, 4 and 5 positions, respectively. Gann had a nearly flawless effort, winning 6?0, 6?1.
"Colby played really well, but our team was just focused all day long," Kimmel said. "My match was closer than the score showed. My opponent [Victoria Abel] was very good, and I had to fight extremely hard to beat her."
Kimmel's match was indicative of the way the entire day went: Colby battled throughout, but simply could not keep up with a determined Tufts squad.
The strong performances of underclassmen Gann and Flynn were especially encouraging, given that the Jumbos will need them to succeed in order to make deep runs in the conference and national tournaments later in the season. While both played well at times over spring break, the consistency they displayed in their matches on Saturday is a positive sign going forward.
Sophomore Shelci Bowman faced a challenge at the No. 2 singles spot, dropping her first set 6?1 before rallying back for a 6?2 win in the second and squeaking out a 10?6 victory in the final set to preserve the perfect day for the Jumbos.
In doubles, all three Jumbos pairings were in sync. At the No. 1 doubles position, Bowman and freshman Sophie Schonfeld were tested but prevailed by a score of 8?5. Meanwhile, the No. 2 doubles team of Katz and Flynn won handily, 8?2, and Gann and junior Janice Lam prevailed 8?1 in the No. 3 spot.
Although this young Jumbos team has only eight active players, just three of whom are upperclassmen, Saturday provided a glimpse of its potential. The players were admittedly nervous during the spring break trip, facing some of the stiffest competition they will encounter all year, including several teams in late?season form. However, it appears the Jumbos have made strides toward overcoming their inexperience to make the most of what they have.
"It was great to come out of that match with a 9?0 win," Gann told the Daily in an email. "I think that we all took some steps out of our comfort zone during the match to try new things, and everyone's focus throughout the match and dedication to sticking to their plans was fantastic. We are taking away a lot of confidence from this match and are really pumped up for the rest of the season."
The Jumbos will compete at the three?day Wellesley Invitational this weekend, an event the players believe will be a good barometer for how the team will fare over the rest of the spring. The tournament will serve as the last chance for the players to do some fine?tuning before they tackle a loaded schedule that includes seven more NESCAC contests before the end of April.
