Tufts to begin season in California

The women’s tennis team has begun training for the upcoming season, and on the heels of the nasty weather that has swept through Boston, the team will travel to California over spring break to compete with some of the top Div. III teams in the country.

After three team seniors graduated last spring, including number one singles player Samantha Gann (LA '14), the team will compete with only first-years and sophomores on the roster this season. Despite the apparent age disadvantage, the team had a complete fall season and off-season to practice against each other and learn each other’s tendencies.

“I think one major challenge that we experienced a bit in the fall season was not having a distinct team captain/leader,” sophomore Alexa Meltzer, a team member and Daily staff writer, said. “Although all the sophomores have been leading the team and working really well together, I think it was often challenging for the younger players, as they look to us as role models, but we really only have one more year of experience then they do.”

During the fall season, the team gained invaluable match experience that it will need to contend in the NESCAC, which owns eight of the top 40 teams in the ITA NCAA Div. III rankings, which were released on March 3. Tufts sits tied at No. 17 with Depauw and La Verne, while reigning NESCAC champion and national runner-up Amherst enters the season ranked fourth. NESCAC runner-up and national semi-finalist Williams is ranked third, and fellow NESCAC teams No. 6 Bowdoin, No. 12 Middlebury, No. 21 Trinity, No. 34 Wesleyan and No. 38 Bates are also ranked.

In the fall season, Tufts competed in a number of events with top quality teams, including the ITA Regional Championships in September. First-year Aandrita Deb entered the 64-person singles bracket outside of the top eight seeds but won four matches in a row to make it to the semi-finals. It was her first collegiate tournament, and she clearly has what it takes to compete with the top players in the region.

Tufts also split two regulation matches during the fall season, losing to MIT and beating Babson. A highlight included winning five of six singles at Babson en route to a 6-3 win. First-year Lauren Louks won her doubles match and then clinched the match with her win in the number three singles spot over first-year Jenny Quenard.

The last event of the fall season was the Bowdoin Invitational, where there were no brackets or team matches. Tufts played matches against Bates, Wellesley and Bowdoin and won 17 out of 24 singles matches and nine out of 12 doubles matches. This success gave the team confidence going into the winter and spring, and it also allowed the team to solidify doubles teams that worked and had good chemistry.

“The start of our training has been going really well so far,” Meltzer said. “We are focused on getting in tip-top shape and have been running sprints daily and recording our respective sprint times to hold each other accountable. We want to be more fit than any other team, especially as we head to California and will be playing in 90 degree heat against some of the best Division III teams in the country.”

Over the spring break trip in California, Tufts will square off against No. 5 Claremont Mudd Scripps, No. 17 La Verne, No. 28 Denison and No. 22 Redlands. These matches against top West Coast competition will be invaluable as the first-year players get ready for their first collegiate season. The trip also gives the team an opportunity to share more experiences with each other and meet each other’s families. After all, four of the eight players are from the Golden State.

“Since so many of our team members are from California, it will be nice to meet their families and stay at some of their houses,” Meltzer, who is from New York, said. “I think this will bring our team closer as we get to learn about their home lives. In addition, I definitely believe that our matches will bring us closer just as they did in the fall season.”

Coach Kate Bayard leads the Jumbos into a new season for the tenth time and looks for her third NESCAC Coach of the Year award. Assisting her is Alex Howard, who is currently atop the rankings in the 35 and over division in New England, and Gann (A’14).

When the team gets back from California, it will face No. 25 Brandeis before beginning the grueling April that is the NESCAC schedule.