This Saturday, in a day of both firsts and lasts, the men's tennis team came out strong against the Coast Guard Academy in its only dual match of the fall season, which also happened to be the last action the team will see until the spring. The Jumbos sealed a 9?0 victory, as both upperclassmen and freshmen shone in front of friends and family who came to celebrate Parents' Weekend.
The Jumbos solidified an excellent showing early, as all three doubles teams got into a groove and won their matches easily. In fact, with each pairing having one upperclassman and one freshman, Tufts dropped a total of just eight games combined between all three eight?game pro?set matchups as the pairs won 8?2, 8?4 and 8?2, respectively.
Freshman Jay Glickman, one of coach Jaime Kenney's top recruits this year, was excited to showcase his talents in his first career home match for the Jumbos. Paired with junior Austin Blau at the No. 3 spot, Glickman and Blau routed Coast Guard's Andrew Bryson and Robert Renfrow. The freshman cited teamwork as the key to the duo's success.
"While [Blau] and I came out a little slowly, we certainly found our rhythm and played a lot better and more in tune with each other following the first couple games," Glickman said. "In the end, we communicated well and got the job done."
Meanwhile, freshman Rob Jacobson, who played with senior Ben Barad at No. 1, was thrilled about what the strong result could mean for the spring season.
"All in all, it's really exciting," Jacobson said. "This is what I've been working toward my whole junior career, and it was definitely a great experience to play with [Barad]. I'll definitely keep working hard this offseason, and hopefully it'll pay off come spring."
Following a sweep of the doubles matches, the Jumbos continued to roll in the best?of?three?set singles matchups. All six Tufts starters cruised to straight set victories, with no one dropping more than three games in a single set.
According to senior tri?captain Andrew Lutz, who played No. 3 for the Jumbos and won by a score of 6?2, 6?2, the team was well prepared and did not underestimate Coast Guard.
"Coming into the match, we knew we were facing a tough Coast Guard team because we saw them at ITAs," said Lutz, referring to the tournament that the Jumbos played earlier in the fall. "We didn't take them lightly, and I'm glad we sealed a great victory as we head into the offseason. I'm proud that everyone came together even with a freshman playing on every doubles team."
Other notable singles victories included a 6?1, 6?2 win by No. 1 seed Barad, a 6?0, 6?0 win from No. 6 Jacobson and a 6?1, 6?1 defeat of Coast Guard's Blake Maurer by No. 2 Glickman.
"I came out fired up for the first dual match and was excited to get out there for the crowd," said Glickman, following his singles win. "I stayed calm, played comfortably and played with the same intensity as in practice so I could do my part to help the team."
The dual match culminates the fall season for the Jumbos. Coach Kenney believes her team can carry the momentum into the winter when they will begin getting ready for the spring season.
"Everyone prepared really well for this one and had a great understanding of what they needed to do," Kenney said. "I'm extremely excited that dual matches have begun because that's what it is all about. We're a team above all else, and we definitely showed that today."
