After a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Wesleyan on April 14, the men's tennis team looked to rebound last week in its continued quest for a NESCAC tournament berth. Last Tuesday, Tufts got out to a strong start and played one of its best overall matches of the year, defeating a recently ranked Trinity team, 8-1. But the Jumbos weren't able to turn that into another win, as they ended their week with a down-to-the-wire battle, eventually falling to No. 9 Middlebury by yet another 5-4 count. The Jumbos are now on the outside looking in of the NESCAC tournament with a 2-4 conference record.
Despite coming off a five-hour away match just two days prior, the Jumbos' lopsided victory over the Bantams stands as the high point so far for the 2013 spring season.
After winning the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches easily to begin the contest in cold Medford, the Jumbos knew they had the capability to command the rest of the afternoon. No. 3 duo of senior tri-captain Andrew Lutz and junior Matt Pataro fell behind early, but with the remaining Jumbos cheering and surrounding the court, they rallied back to force an 8-8 tiebreak. Though Lutz and Pataro ended up losing 9-8 (3), Tufts was energized heading into singles.
"As a team, I think we have improved a lot [in general] in terms of bringing the same match intensity and energy to every match through the lineup," freshman Rob Jacobson said. "We constantly encourage each other on the court and from the sidelines, which creates an environment ... to play some great tennis."
As the 8-1 score reflects, Tufts went on to sweep the singles matches, with four out of six coming in straight sets. One notable singles victory included No. 6 sophomore Brian Tan, who clinched to move to 3-0 as a member of the starting six.
"Against Trinity was the first time I believe we all played well at the same time and had the confidence in ourselves to win," Tan said. "We knew all along that we had the potential and ability to compete with that sort of energy, and in the end it simply came to executing and performing."
"That was a match where all of us came out with the fire and intensity to get the job done for our school, our coaches, but most importantly for each other," Jacobson added.
Following Tuesday's victory, the Jumbos had plenty of time to prepare for one of the nation's best in the No. 9 Middlebury Panthers. Middlebury is a perennial powerhouse in Div. III - boasting six NESCAC championships and seven trips to the NCAA final four since 2003 - so Tufts knew they had a tough weekend ahead as they traveled to Vermont Saturday night.
Things were looking grim for the Jumbos early on, with the Panthers easily taking a 2-1 lead in the match heading into singles. But, after Middlebury won the first singles match to extend its lead, the Tufts rackets finally came alive. Senior Ben Barad, freshman Jay Glickman and Tan all took home wins at the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6 positions, respectively, knotting up the score at 4-4.
Then, with the score tied, it all came down to the No. 1 match between freshman Nik Telkedzhiev and No. 20 singles player, junior Alex Johnston. Though Johnston ended up sealing both his match and the team win in a dramatic third set tiebreak, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5), the Jumbos once again showed that they should be a team to be feared going forward, regardless of their record.
"For me personally, the best part of today is knowing exactly how this group will respond," Kenney said. "They will work harder, want it more and be more committed to our team goals than yesterday. They are so focused ... and at the end of the day, that's where the real confidence comes from."
With a NESCAC tournament berth on the line, Tufts will need to continue its run and perform well in the last three matches of the regular season. The Jumbos begin the slate later this week with a battle against Colby on tap for Thursday.
