Women's tennis smashes Smith

The women's tennis team began its season in an impressive fashion on Tuesday, throttling Smith College 9-0.

"It was an easy match, but a good match to start out so everybody could feel their rhythm on the court," senior co-captain Iffy Saeed said.

The opposition was so weak, in fact, that not a single Tufts player dropped a set. In the six singles matches the Jumbos went a combined 72-9. The team also went a cumulative 24-7 in its three doubles matches en route to three wins.

Much of Tuesday's success can be attributed to the squad's depth. Starting with the two senior co-captains Saeed and Katie Nordstrom and continuing through freshmen Lisa Miller and Rebecca Bram, who competed and won in the second and fifth spots respectively against Smith.

"(Miller are Bram) are both going to be a huge asset to our team in singles and doubles," Saeed said. "Our team has a huge amount of talent. Our top nine players could play top four at any other NESCAC school."

Miller dropped Ashley Kilgore in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1 and then teamed up with senior Emily Warshauer to win a doubles match 8-3. Bram, likewise made a successful collegiate tennis debut, winning 6-0, 6-0 against Joanna Wong.

Sophomore Jennifer Lejb solidified her spot as the team's number one player, as she handily defeated Smith's top player, Lauren Kemp, 6-0, 6-1. Nordstrom and Saeed pulled their weight in the middle of the lineup, as the three and four players respectively, winning 6-1, 6-0 and 6-2, 6-3. Sophomore Trina Spear, a second team All-NESCAC selection last year, won her match 6-0, 6-0 against Smith's Mariel Elguero.

Although the Jumbos demolished Smith, they don't consider Smith the average opponent they will face during the rest of its season. While Tufts expects other teams, such as Williams and Amherst in the spring season, to pose more of a challenge, it is less concerned with the opposition and more focused on staying healthy.

"Last year a lot of people got injured," Saeed said. "So this year one of our main goals is to stay healthy because we have a fall and spring season."

While the main hurdles of the season come in the spring, the team has not lost sight of the near future. The goal for the fall season is to play well in the New England Championships on Oct. 18-20. "For the fall season, everyone must work to peak for New Englands," Saeed said. "But in the long-term, I think we definitely have a shot at winning Nationals this year."

The team's next match will be on Sept. 21, at home, against Colby.