Last week did not offer much of a break for the women's tennis team, as the squad traveled to California to take on five West Coast teams, positing a 3-2 record before heading back east to take on NESCAC foes.
Ranked No. 20 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Tufts finished its trip on a high note with an 8-1 romping of No. 17 UC Santa Cruz. Hard work on doubles play paid off as the Jumbos swept the Slugs in all three doubles matches.
"I think the high of this trip was definitely the last match," senior tri-captain Jen Luten said. "The other team was pumped up, but we used our momentum from the last two matches and their energy to overpower them. It was a great ending to beat a team like that 8-1."
The Jumbos battled hard in the doubles play, with no match coming easy. Playing in the No. 1 spot, Luten and and senior tri-captain Kylyn Deary overpowered junior Slugs Megan Sweeney and Jessica Ruth 8-4. Following their lead, the new pair of freshman Meghan McCooey and junior Andrea Cenko edged out its UC Santa Cruz opponents in a tight match, 9-8 (5). In the No. 3 spot, sophomore Mari Homma and freshman Erica Miller handled Santa Cruz seniors Lauren Tisdale and Emily Cook 8-5 to wrap up the doubles sweep.
"The best part of our trip was sweeping doubles against UC Santa Cruz," coach Kate Bayard said. "Also going 11-4 in doubles matches during the trip [was a high point]. I think the team really sees how strong doubles can set the tone for the match."
Such success on the doubles front was not an aberration. Just one day before their bout with the Banana Slugs, the Jumbos routed Chapman University 9-0. Tufts allowed a mere six games over three matches of doubles play. After beating Chapman easily in doubles, Tufts came back and dominated the Panthers in singles play as well, with no player surrendering more than two games in a set in singles.
On top of the romping of Chapman, Tufts soundly defeated No. 21 Linfield 8-1 March 23. Every Jumbo won her singles match in straight sets, while Luten and Deary narrowly took No. 1 doubles 9-7, and McCooey and Cenko also earned a solid 8-1 win from the No. 2 doubles spot. Tufts had to fight hard for the doubles victories, as two of the three matches were tied before the final point.
"I thought our team was tough mentally and physically," Luten said. "Everyone showed their stuff over this trip, whether it was in singles pulling out a three-set match or in doubles fighting back to win after being down."
While the Jumbos handled their last three opponents and emerged with three-straight decisive wins, the first two matches of the trip were not as easy for a squad still adapting to outdoor tennis. Tufts suffered a 7-2 loss to No. 14 Pomona-Pitzer March 21 in a match that served as the low point in doubles play for the Jumbos: the team lost in both the No. 1 and the No. 2 spots, only managing to earn an 8-5 win in the No. 3 spot from the duo of Homma and Miller.
"Our first two matches could have gone either way," Bayard said. "We adjusted more quickly this trip to outdoor tennis than last year, and we kept getting more comfortable with each match. The real difference in the first two matches was that Point Loma and Pomona played better under pressure. They were more mentally tough by a bit. However, I loved to hear the team say 'We can definitely beat Pomona and Point Loma now,' by the end of the trip."
In the match against the Sagehens, senior Silvia Schmid provided the lone singles victory for the Jumbos, winning in two sets 7-5 and 6-4 from No. 4. Playing in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots, respectively, Deary and Miller fought their opponents in close three-game matches, but were unable to pull out the wins.
"Pomona was a strong team and they were coming off a big win," Deary said. "I think we were not yet accustomed to the outdoors while they were on top of their game. We all played hard but Pomona was able to win the big points."
The Jumbos started off their trip with a narrow 5-4 loss to Point Loma. While the squad earned the 2-1 early advantage in doubles, it was unable to pull through in singles play. Deary and Miller earned wins in the No. 5 and 6 spots, but the rest of the line-up found its Sea Lion opponents too much to handle and surrendered the top four singles matches.
"Against Point Loma I think we were adapting to the elements and had the first match jitters," Deary said. "We went into singles with a 2-1 lead but Point Loma's singles were very strong and used to playing outdoors."
The Jumbos compiled a 3-2 record on their trip out West and now return to New England to begin the traditionally competitive NESCAC matches. With now-seasoned doubles and singles players ready for the challenge, the team will begin its NESCAC schedule this weekend with a home opener weekend against Colby on Saturday at 10 a.m. and a match against Bates on Sunday at 11 a.m.
