Tufts women’s tennis traveled west to Smith College to participate in the 2024 New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament last weekend and returned to Medford with a pair of champions from the “B” draw competition. First-year Brooklyn Bindas and junior transfer Ellie Gershaw took the doubles title in their bracket, besting Megan Sun and Selma Petrie of MIT in the finals. Bindas and Gershaw each secured individual victories in the draw as well, with Bindas beating Petrie and Gershaw taking down Sun in the final singles matches.
The Jumbos in the “A” draw saw their NEWITT run come to an end on Saturday, with three doubles pairs falling in the quarterfinals. Beaver duos proved formidable as two pairs knocked off the Jumbo partnerships of first-year Athena Li and junior Nikki Kintiroglou, as well as first-year Melanie Woodbury and junior Rachel Cranley.
Bindas and Gershaw found success at NEWITT thanks to their focused preparation throughout the week. “I got to practice with [Gershaw] all week, and we got to build our chemistry together,” Bindas said. “We also worked on cheering all week, so I think us cheering for each other also really helped me.”
The road to victory came with obstacles for Bindas and Gershaw, with Julia Zhang and Ahn Lin from Williams College providing the most difficult test in the semifinals. “That was my closest match, and that was also just a hard match mentally because there was so much wind … it was very hard to play in for both of us,” Bindas said.
Having a partner on the court helped Bindas to overcome the tough weather conditions and more experienced competitors. “I prefer doubles just because I like being with a teammate,” she said. “I think it's more fun, and I also like being at [the] net.”
The sense of community among the team allowed Bindas and Gershaw to emerge as a strong doubles pair and helped Bindas adjust quickly to college tennis, notching a tournament victory at only her third collegiate outing.
“It was really easy for me [to adjust] because there were six other new players. There were four other freshmen and two transfers, so I wasn't the only one, but I think it's been a pretty smooth transition from high school to college,” Bindas said. “The time management wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I have a lot more time than I thought, and my team's really supportive.”
The Jumbos are entering an offseason that lasts until March, and a more grueling schedule awaits in the spring semester. The winter months are essential for individual and team development, and Bindas faces the additional challenge of rebuilding strength following a major injury.
“I got surgery last year for my hip, so working out and strengthening my lower body has been a big priority for me,” she said.
Bindas and the six other new Jumbos will look to build on the experience gained in the fall as women’s tennis competes in conference play with NCAA tournament aspirations in 2025.
