The women's tennis team made history Friday afternoon, picking up its first NESCAC Tournament victory with a 5-4 win over sixth-seeded Wesleyan.
But the third-seeded Jumbos' run was short-lived, as the next day, Tufts fell to eventual champion Amherst 6-3, ending the team's bid for its first conference title.
The Lord Jeffs had beaten the Jumbos 7-2 in a match played April 8, and Tufts, ranked No. 13 in the country, found itself in a hole early after dropping two of three doubles matches. Freshmen Julia Browne and Edwina Stewart earned the only victories of the day as a pair in doubles, and later separately at singles.
"They were a really tough team, but I think we were really close," Browne said. "We lost in straight sets in most matches, but we fought hard. Hopefully we get to Nationals, take this momentum and compete with teams with similar talent but who are probably a little bit worse."
Tufts' top doubles team, consisting of senior co-captain Andrea Cenko and junior Mari Homma, fell 8-2 to the tandem of sophomore Brittany Berckes and senior Alicia Menezes, the top-ranked doubles team in the country. Eighteen days after besting Amherst's second-doubles duo of freshman Natasha Brown and sophomore Jill Wexler 8-6, sophomores Meghan McCooey and Erica Miller couldn't best the Jeffs this time around, falling 8-4 for their third loss of the spring season.
"We got off to a slow start," McCooey said. "We were trying to put together points but things weren't working. They came out ready."
Browne and Stewart salvaged Tufts' lone doubles triumph in the third slot with a close 8-6 win.
"I was extremely focused and just really wanted to win more than ever," Browne said. "It helped a lot to play really good doubles with Edwina. Winning your doubles matches before you play singles helps build up confidence and momentum."
"I think Julia and Edwina played great," McCooey added. "They went out and got the job done."
Browne picked up where she left off at second singles, beating Wexler in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. Meanwhile, at first singles, McCooey had a tough challenge in Berckes, the No. 39 player in the country. The Rhode Island native pushed her fellow second-year but ultimately fell 7-5, 6-4.
"She's a tough player," McCooey said. "I'm happy with the way I played. A couple points here or there can decide a match."
Cenko got off to an auspicious start in her fourth singles match, winning the first set 6-4. But Cenko's opponent, senior Monica Snyder, raised her play to another level, taking all but a single game over the following two sets to clinch the match.
"I think Andrea played really well in her singles match, but her opponent stepped it up at the end," Browne said. "She fought hard to the end of it, and McCooey fought hard, but her opponent was tough. They just played a little better."
Stewart went on to win her match at sixth-singles 7-5, 7-6 (6).
The first round of the tournament pitted Tufts against sixth-seeded Wesleyan, the first time the two clubs had played in four years. The Jumbos took two of the three doubles matches, highlighted by McCooey and Miller not giving up a game in their eight-game proset. Cenko and Homma went the distance at first doubles but lost in the end 9-8 (5), while Browne and Stewart won 8-5 to give Tufts the lead going into singles.
"Wesleyan put up a pretty good fight," McCooey said. "We knew they had some good players, but we were hoping to get a score that wasn't as close. It was a good learning experience. Going from the match against Wesleyan to against Amherst, we knew we had to step up and play at our top level."
Browne, who won all four of her matches in the tournament, dominated at second-singles, 6-1, 6-1. Cenko put the squad one win away from victory after winning her match quickly, 6-2, 6-0. Sophomore co-captain Laura Hoguet lost at the sixth spot, but McCooey sealed Tufts' fifth win of the day with a 6-4, 6-2 win, thereby giving Tufts the match.
