The No. 13 women's tennis team split a pair of matches against nationally ranked opponents this past weekend, losing 7?2 to No. 2 Emory on Sunday and winning 9?0 against No. 30 Bates on Monday. The Jumbos are now 7?5 overall and a perfect 3?0 in the NESCAC.
Against Emory on the Voute Courts, Tufts stuck with its new pairings at the top two doubles spots from its Wednesday match against Conn. College. But the Jumbos' lone victory in doubles came from sophomore Samantha Gann and junior Janice Lam, who have been playing together almost all year in the third doubles position. The duo won 8?2, and the Jumbos were behind 2?1 heading into singles play.
"We came out on the court with really amazing energy on Sunday, something that we will be looking to continue to do throughout the season," Gann said. "The doubles play was great all weekend, which is giving us a lot of confidence moving forward."
The two new doubles combinations featured freshman Sophie Schonfeld and sophomore Eliza Flynn at the top doubles spot and junior captain Lindsay Katz and sophomore Shelci Bowman playing second doubles. Both of the pairings put up a fight against their talented Emory opponents, with Schonfeld and Flynn going down 8?3, and Katz and Bowman losing a close match 8?6 - despite Katz's impressive swatting of a bee that was chasing Bowman around the court.
"Our doubles was the best we have seen it all year," Katz said. "It really proved that we are making strides."
But Tufts was unable to capitalize on any momentum it had heading into singles play. The singles lineup had a slightly different look as well, as Schonfeld - who has played almost exclusively in doubles this season - took Katz's spot at the top of the ladder, while the rest of the team moved down a spot. Schonfeld drew what will likely be her toughest opponent all season in Emory's Gabbie Clark, the second?ranked player in Div. III. Clark took the match 6?0, 6?1.
Although some of Tufts' players were lower down the ladder than usual, every matchup was a challenge against the Eagles, who made quick work of the Jumbos in the first three singles positions. Katz lost her match to No. 12 Jordan Wylie, and Bowman fell to No. 40 Zahra Dawson, 6?0, 6?2.
The bright spot in singles play for Tufts was Flynn, who won her match in straight sets, 6?4, 6?2. Flynn, who is arguably the hardest hitter on the team, has the power to beat almost any opponent, and her talent showed on Sunday.
While Tufts disappointed in the final result against Emory, they see plenty of lessons to be learned from the match.
"The singles didn't go quite the way we had hoped," Katz said, "but we definitely know what we need to work on and how to improve for when we play some of our tougher NESCAC opponents."
Tufts had a quick turnaround, playing the final contest of their three?match homestand against Bates in scorching heat on Monday. But the adverse conditions and lack of rest didn't seem to affect the Jumbos, who rolled to a 9?0 victory.
"Playing in the 90?degree weather on Monday really tested our stamina and mental focus, and we all handled it well," Katz said. "Our doubles play stayed strong, and we took a 3?0 lead, which is always nice when heading into singles play. The fact that we all won in singles to make it a 9?0 victory has given us a lot of confidence for this next week, because they definitely had some strong players."
The Jumbos kept their doubles pairings from Sunday, and earned easy wins at all three doubles positions: Schonfeld and Flynn won 8?6, Katz and Bowman won 8?3 and Lam and Gann won 8?5.
The team was challenged in singles play but held strong. Katz returned to her spot at the top of the ladder and won 6?4, 7?5. Flynn continued her strong weekend at the third spot, winning her match 6?2, 6?3, while Lam had the easiest time, losing just one game en route to a 6?0, 6?1 victory.
"Beating Bates 9?0 yesterday was extremely impressive," Gann said. "They are definitely a solid team, and coming away with a 9?0 win is something to be very proud of."
Tufts will look to keep its undefeated NESCAC record intact on Thursday, when the team travels to Bowdoin.
