The women's tennis team, ranked seventh in the nation, picked up where it left off in the fall as it defeated Wesleyan on Sunday. While inclement weather forced the match inside, the Jumbos did not miss a beat as they proceeded to wipe the Gantcher Center floor with the Cardinals to the tune of an 8-1 score.
"I definitely thought we were on top of our game," senior co-captain Katie Nordstrom said. "Our aggressiveness definitely got us that win."
Intensity was certainly a priority, as none of the matches were exactly ho-hum affairs. One match that especially stood out was the sole Jumbo loss of the day. The doubles team of freshman Becky Bram and Nordstrom lost a 9-8 a tie breaker to Cardinals' Dina Guth and Ashley Brick.
"This was the first time Becky and I had played doubles together in a match," Nordstrom said. "Both sides were playing well, and they just happened to come up big at the right time."
Besides the one Wesleyan bright spot, the Jumbos had control of the match as their depth was on display.
"We were missing our number one and number five singles players (sophomore Jen Lijb and freshman Lisa Miller)," assistant coach Doug Eng said. "What's good for us is we have tremendous depth, so those losses did not make a huge difference."
Among those to step up in the absence of key players and win their matches were Bram in the number one slot (7-5,6-4), junior Barclay Gang at number two (6-2, 7-6) and sophomore number six Trina Spear (6-4, 6-0). In addition, seniors Nordstrom (6-4, 6-1), co-captain Iffy Saeed (6-2, 6-3) and Emily Warshauer (6-3, 6-4) played key roles in the win.
In doubles, besides the loss by Bram and Nordstrom, Gang and sophomore Neda Pisheva came through (8-4), as did Saeed and sophomore Ashley Weisman (8-3).
"They were a very scrappy team," Saeed said. "Nothing came too easily, but all in all we played really well."
The match also provided Tufts with an opportunity to use a more aggressive approach. "We want to work on all aspects of our game, our weaknesses included," she said. "So rather than just sitting back on the baseline, a lot of us went to the net and were aggressive with our play. Honestly, we are using matches like these to gear up for the NESCAC championships, and especially for Williams and Amherst."
The team will continue its work this weekend, as it heads to the Middlebury Invitational in Vermont where it will play not only NESCAC teams, but New England teams from all divisions. The Invitational does not count towards its record, but the team hopes to succeed regardless and use it as a building block for the rest of the season.
"It's a fun tournament," Saeed said. "Teams like (University of New Hampshire) and (University of Vermont) are always there, as well as Hamilton, who we never play in the league. It's an unbelievable amount of practice for the rest of the year, because we basically play all day on Saturday."
Besides the fun, Nordstrom referred to the importance of the Invitational.
"It's a great time to get away and play as many matches as possible. It definitely helps gear us up for the remainder of the season."
As much as it wants to dominate the matches they play in, the squad does not want to peak too early. With the toughest tests later in the season, such performances as Sunday's are not as much about the result, but about the experience of being in close matches and working on strategy.
"The team hadn't played competitively for some time before [Sunday]," Eng said. "We're pleased with how it has started, and we want them to get in a groove, but it is important that they peak at the end of the month as opposed to right now."
After a successful season opening match, the Jumbos' confidence is obvious.
"We're really excited for the rest of the season," Nordstrom said. "We can't wait to show people what we can do."
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