In a match that was much closer than the score reflected, the Jumbos came together during singles play to pull out a decisive win 7-2 victory over NYU on Saturday.
Senior tri-captains Jen Luten and Kylyn Deary pounded NYU's juniors Erika Olson and Katie Lee 8-1 to earn the lone win in doubles play. The No. 2 duo of freshman Meghan McCooey and sophomore Mari Homma, and senior Silvia Schmidt and freshman Erica Miller at No. 3 did not have as much luck and fell to NYU in close 8-6 matches.
"Today was great," Luten said of her play at the top spot. "We played really well together and we were very aggressive and played with a lot of confidence."
"Jen and Kylyn played outstanding today," coach Kate Bayard added. "This is the best they have played all season. They played aggressively, but recognized times when they needed to back off the net. They played every point smart."
Bayard was not quite as optimistic about the two and three spots, however.
"Our No. 2 and 3 doubles got outplayed today," Bayard said. "Our shot selection needed work and we gave them too many balls at shoulder height, and they took advantage of that."
While the doubles play is getting better, there is still some work to be done before the New England Championships (NEWITTS) in two weeks. The team will continue to work on getting to the net, keeping the ball either really low or really high, and finishing off points.
Trailing 2-1 after the doubles portion of the match, the Jumbos came into singles play looking to draw blood. The top three singles spots plowed through their opponents and although the wins were not as easy in the bottom three spots due to difficulty in the first sets, they ultimately swept all six matches.
Leading the way in the first singles spot, Luten defeated NYU sophomore Stephanie Tu 6-0, 6-4. Likewise, McCooey and Dreary dominated in the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively.
For a while, the match was up for grabs, as Tufts had more difficulty in the four through six slots. In the No. 4 and 5 spots, Schmidt and Homma won the first sets in tiebreakers before coming out strong and defeating their opponents in the second set. In the No. 6 spot Miller lost her first set but rebounded to win the second set and eventually the tiebreaking third set.
"The whole match was deceptively close," Bayard said. "It really could have gone either way. Though the score doesn't show it, this is as close as it gets.
"I think the girls playing in the bottom three spots really felt the cheering from afar," Bayard continued. "There was a critical time in the match where the momentum really shifted. NYU was winning the match until then."
That pivotal moment proved to be huge for the Jumbos, as the win Saturday improved their dual-match record this fall to 4-0. That clip may actually understate the dominance of the Tufts squad; the team is 24-0 in singles play in those dual matches this fall.
The Jumbos will need that momentum, as the next few weeks will certainly be a challenge, with the Small College Nationals next weekend, followed by the New England Championships at Amherst Oct. 20-22.
"Today was great for our confidence going into NEWITTS" Bayard said. "Mental toughness is what separates the top teams from all the others. Today was a huge confidence booster."
