Women’s tennis begins spring season with win over Conn. College

The women’s tennis team traveled to New London, Conn. to face NESCAC opponent Connecticut College for their first match of the spring season on Saturday. The No. 12 Jumbos defeated the unranked Camels in a decisive 8–1 victory to begin the spring season 1–0.

The young Tufts team — which features five first-years and four sophomores — looked strong from the top to bottom of the ladder. Playing in the No. 2 and 3 singles positions, sophomores Nicole Frankel and Maggie Dorr did not give up a single game as they both swept their respective Conn. College opponents 6–0, 6–0.

“I just went into it with a positive attitude and was really excited to be out there with a great team and playing against an awesome team too,” Dorr said of her match. “I just think that everything worked in my favor that day.”

Playing at the No. 6 singles position, junior Kiara Rose defeated Conn. College junior Meredith Kenny in an exciting three-set match. After dropping the first set 3–6, Rose did not allow her opponent a single game in the second set, winning 6–0 to even the score at 1–1 and force a third set. Rose won the third set 10–7 in an exciting ten-game tiebreaker to claim the match.

The Jumbos were similarly dominant in doubles competition, as first-year talent shined. In the No. 1 doubles position, Dorr and first-year Maddie Suk gave up just three games in their 8–3 victory. In the No. 2 position, sophomore Caroline Garrido and first-year Tilly Rigby defeated their opponents 8–4, while first-year Casey Cummings and sophomore Anna Lowy recorded an 8–2 win for the Jumbos at the No. 3 position.

Junior Patricia Obeid believes that hard work in the off season and attention to detail were key to the team’s decisive victory on Saturday.

“I think the combination of all our hard work and putting in extra hours outside of practice [contributed to the result],” Obeid said. “Staying after lift and just taking care of our bodies, little things like that, showed on the court.”

Saturday’s win was a strong start to the 2020 season – which looks to be a promising one for this young group. The team has used the experience of their six returning players in combination with the enthusiasm and energy of their five rookies to create a tight-knit group dynamic.

“I’d say it’s a really close group of people and everyone really looks out for each other," Dorr said. "Everyone has each other’s back on and off the court."

The abundance of young talent could prove an important asset to the team this season.

“The [first-years] are so motivated and really hungry to win,” Obeid said. “I think that’s really going to be such a game changer this season.”

With just two juniors and no seniors, leadership responsibilities have been taken on by the entire group, which Obeid believes is a strength.

“Every single person in one way or another has contributed as a leader on the team, and I think that’s what makes our team really special,” Obeid said.

On the court, the Jumbos are playing at a high level and are prepared to face some of the nation’s top-ranked teams in upcoming matches. On March 18, Tufts will face No. 3 Emory on the road. The following week, the Jumbos will travel to Bowdoin to take on the No. 11 Polar Bears. The team will face their most difficult opponent, No. 1 Wesleyan, Apr. 25 on the road in their final match of the regular season.

The Jumbos finished the 2019 season with a record of 9–10, making an exit from the NESCAC tournament in the first round and the NCAA tournament in the regional final round. While the group hopes to improve on these results, their current priority is focusing on smaller, more immediate goals.

“We’re focused on living in the moment … we can't think too far ahead of ourselves,” Obeid said. “We would love to win NESCAC’s, we would love to win Nationals — those are obviously our goals — and we are capable of achieving them. But what we have stressed as a team is that we have to live in the moment and give it our all, because if we can achieve our little goals, we will achieve our bigger goals.”

The team’s next match is scheduled for March 14 against No. 23 Washington and Lee in the Blue-Grey Invitational hosted by the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va.