If the women's tennis team were to write a list of goals for next season, beating NESCAC-rival Bowdoin would have to be close to the top.
The No. 27 Jumbos finished 9-9 on the season, which concluded with a pair of first-round postseason losses to the Bowdoin Polar Bears. The Jumbos first fell 6-3 in the NESCAC Tournament and then lost 5-4 in the NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament.
In addition to those losses, Tufts fell 6-3 to Bowdoin in the fall portion of the season, giving the Polar Bears a sweep of the Jumbos in 2005-2006.
"Bowdoin certainly played smart against us," coach Kate Bayard said. "It's safe to say this team will want to beat Bowdoin next year."
Those three losses aside, the squad experienced ups and downs in its match play this year. The Jumbos kicked off the season with a three-game win streak before losing two straight to Bowdoin and Middlebury to finish the fall half of the season 5-2.
The majority of the Jumbo's losses were by a narrow margin, even if the final score did not reflect it.
"The team played great this year," senior captain Becky Bram said. "Many of our matches could have gone either way. Some we won and some we lost and unfortunately, some of those losses occurred in the bigger matches in the NCAAs and NESCACs. However, we definitely proved ourselves this year and no team would or will take us lightly."
The spring brought the return of juniors Kylyn Deary, Jennifer Luten and Stephanie Ruley from abroad, whose presence strengthened the lineup considerably. Despite this re-infusion of talent, Tufts dropped five of its first six matches, putting the team in a hole early in what had looked to be a successful season. Four of their losses came to highly ranked teams, as they fell to No. 1 Washington & Lee and No. 7 Gustavus-Adolphus at the Fab Five Tournament at Washington & Lee, and No. 3 Amherst on the road a week later to start their spring NESCAC schedule.
"The low point of the season would probably [be] those matches we played during Spring Break in Virginia [at the Fab Five], but in reality those were some of the best teams in the country and it was tough having them be our first matches of the season," Bram said. "We have improved a great deal from those matches and I wish we could have had the opportunity to have played them again."
An inconsistent doubles lineup cost the team early on in the spring season, contributing to the five early losses. Bayard tested out several different combinations throughout those matches, sometimes rendering doubles more of a liability than an asset.
"We found the need to change around the [doubles] combinations based on performance," Bayard said. "I think it would have been a mistake to continue with the same teams, given how we were performing in the beginning of the spring season."
The Jumbos picked up steam heading into the postseason, winning three consecutive key matches to ensure berths in both the NESCAC Tournament and the NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament.
One of the most important victories this season came against the No. 17 Wellesley Blue where the Jumbos trounced Wellesley on its home court, capping a three-game win streak heading into the post-season and securing a bid to the NCAAs.
"I think beating Wellesley 8-1 was a big win for us because they are a tough team and everyone fought hard and pulled out some tough matches," Bram said.
The team followed those wins by beating up on Conn. College and Bates in the season home stretch, winning 9-0 and 8-1, respectively.
Bram and Luten were named to the First Team All-Conference for doubles after going 5-1 in match play together. Luten earned First Team honors for her role as the Jumbos' workhorse, going 6-5 in the top spot. Bram also captured Second Team honors for singles, finishing with a 15-7 personal record, and took home the NESCAC Sportswoman of the Year Award as well.
"Becky stood out the most this year," Bayard said. "She always worked hard and always placed the team first. She was a standout leader. She also stood out as far as her results in both singles and doubles."
Looking toward next season, Bram is the only graduating season, guaranteeing the Jumbos a healthy amount of experience in returning players.
"Becky will be a huge loss," Bayard said. "However, we are lucky to have everyone else returning next year. I think we will benefit from the returning experience and the leadership of the four seniors next year."
Bram pointed to the matches against Bowdoin, certainly a dark spot in the Jumbos' season, as evidence of their depth, an encouraging sign for next season.
"It is interesting to see that in each [of the three] matches [against Bowdoin this season], our wins and losses did not come from the same position," Bram said. "That in itself shows that everyone is so close and that any player can win on any given day.
"I know that the team will continue to succeed," Bram continued. "It has been a great season with Kate as our coach and she has really helped make each and everyone on the team a better player. Everyone will continue improving and I am excited to see how everyone is playing a year from now. Experience will hopefully help us pull out some of those closer matches."
