Tufts women’s tennis traveled to Bowdoin College in Maine last weekend to launch their fall campaign by competing in Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals over the course of two days. On Sept. 21, first-year Melanie Woodbury won her first two collegiate matches to advance to the Round of 16 in the “A” singles draw, while her fellow first-year Brooklyn Bindas handled Sanjana Kumar of Brandeis University to advance in “B” singles. Their fellow first-year, Athena Li, won her first-ever college match, knocking off Colby College’s Michaela Landry before falling to a Middlebury opponent in her second match of the day. Sophomore transfer Evelina Anastasi also made a commanding first appearance as a Jumbo as the No. 3 seed in the ”B” draw, besting Naisha Rathi of Trinity College on the first day of action.
“I feel like the first match was … the most nerve-wracking, so it was good to get it over with, but I feel like [with Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals], I was just coming fresh from the MIT Invitational, so it was not too bad,” Woodbury said.
Tufts tennis is a family affair for Melanie, whose older sister, Stephanie, is a junior on the team.
“We went to high school together, and we’ve always played tennis together,” Melanie said. “We’re two years apart, so we didn’t play with each other for two years, but it’s really fun to get back to playing doubles with her and just being able to train with her.”
The new Jumbos also had solid doubles performances at Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals. Stephanie and her partner, sophomore Natalie Hu, advanced to the Round of 16 after the first day of competition, and the pair of Stephanie and her fellow junior Rachel Cranley won their opening match before falling to a seeded duo from Amherst.
“I feel like doubles [are] always more fun because you’re with someone else. Singles, you’re kind of out there alone, so it’s definitely a different vibe,” Stephanie said.
The Jumbos Intercollegiate Tennis Association run ended on the second day with Anastasi and Bindas falling in singles in the quarterfinals of the “B” draw. Melanie made it to the quarterfinals of the “A” singles draw, but ultimately lost to Wesleyan’s Jackie Soloveychick. Melanie and Hu finished their doubles run in the Round of 16 after a close matchup with a Middlebury pair.
“Something that really drew me into the team was just all the girls. They’re very welcoming and nice, especially the older ones,” Melanie said. “And I really like all the [first-years] and transfers on the team, it’s very easy to coexist with them and just hype them up.”
Despite her strong performance, Melanie is still working to improve against more experienced opponents.
“A lot of the girls I played [against] have been in college, I didn’t really play any other freshmen, so they have the experience,” she said. “They also know how to just be really loud, so I feel like it'll take some getting used to.”
The Woodbury sisters and the rest of the Jumbos will be back in action on Oct. 11 at the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament hosted by Smith College.
