Despite failing to advance any player beyond the second round of the singles or doubles brackets, the men's tennis team knows that its participation in the ITA Regional Championships at Williams over the weekend was certainly time well-spent.
In a tournament that featured the top players from the region in Div. III, including an abundance of competition from the NESCAC, the Jumbos were able to preview the type of opponents that they will face once dual matches in conference commence this spring. Based on what they saw and how they performed, the Tufts players will have their work cut out for them during the winter offseason, especially considering the need to compensate for the difference between the lighter fall play and the more difficult spring.
"The tournament really epitomizes the best in Div. III tennis in New England, and the NESCAC's the most competitive Div. III conference in the country as it is," said sophomore Tony Carucci, who was the only Jumbo singles player to win his first-round match. "So we're basically playing a tournament with the best players in the country in our division -- and it's only the best players that get into it -- so there are no really easy matches. There are probably between five and 10 kids in the tournament who shouldn't be in it, but on the whole, though, it's extremely competitive."
Carucci, one of three singles players representing Tufts, handily took care of Eastern Nazarene College junior Jack Sahlman 6-2, 6-1 before drawing the tournament's sixth seed, Middlebury sophomore Andrew Peters, in the second round and falling 6-2, 6-3.
"[Peters is] very good," Carucci said. "He had a very big serve, so it was just too hard to break him, and I put too much pressure on my serve and I ended up losing the match."
Junior Andrew Rosen and first-year Sam Laber also competed in the singles bracket, though neither survived the first round, with Laber succumbing to Williams senior Rick Devlin 6-2, 6-4 and Rosen battling Middlebury sophomore Rich Bonfiglio to a 7-6 (10), 6-2 loss.
"Andrew had a very tough opponent, and he knew he would be a very tough match," Carucci said. "Unfortunately, they went to a first-set tiebreak and Andrew had a few set points, but he couldn't end up winning that first set, and I think if he had won it, he probably would have ended up winning the match."
"Andrew ... had a terrible draw," junior Dan Landers said. "The way he was able to compete against one of the best teams of the country in Middlebury, and one of their best players, definitely showed that we can compete against them."
On the doubles side, both Tufts teams managed to post first-round victories. Landers and sophomore Paul Kohnstann overcame their Wheaton opponents 8-5 in a superset before losing to the Middlebury duo of Bonfiglio and freshman Eric Vehovec 8-4. A first-year pairing comprised of Laber and Kai Victoria cruised 8-1 over a team from Roger Williams before they fell to Middlebury's Peters and senior Conrad Olson.
"I played against a pretty strong Middlebury doubles team, and it was 5-4 and we didn't capitalize on a few opportunities where if we had, the match would have gone the other way, so it's good to see that I can compete at that level," Landers said.
The stormy weather that drenched New England over the weekend necessitated a move from the outdoor courts to Williams' two indoor facilities, the Towne Field House and the Lansing Chapman Rink. The two indoor facilities -- especially the ice rink, which was covered with a temporary rubberized composite -- provided for different playing conditions.
"I think that for me and Paul, being inside helps us out a lot," Landers said. "I rely on my serve and Paul is great at net, so it's good for us to have a quick game."
"The indoor courts there are faster than their outdoor courts, so the serve was more of a weapon, a little bit harder to see," Carucci added. "I think ... as a team, we probably would have done better outside, but being inside it is what it is, everyone is dealing with the conditions. For doubles teams, I think the faster surface helps us, but just for singles I think the slower surface is better."
One key outcome of the whole tournament experience for the Jumbos was the ability to scout opposing NESCAC squads months before squaring off in the spring. And what they saw there certainly suggests a tough season ahead against conference foes.
"This was a really good recruiting class all across the board," Carucci said. "I would say the top seven in the NESCAC all got at least two very good recruits. There were freshmen from each one of the top schools that did really well in the tournament, and watching their matches you could see a lot of extremely competitive tennis.
"It's not going to get any easier for us," he continued. "I think we have a better team this year than we did last year, but I think all the other teams are better too, so it should be competitive."
With ITAs behind them, the Jumbos will host the Babson Beavers tomorrow for the squad's second and final dual match of the fall. Tufts has won at least nine straight matches against the non-conference Beavers.
"I think they have some pretty decent players at the top, but there's a pretty big falloff after that, so I think as a team we should be able to manage the situation," Landers said.
"It's just a good time to get some freshmen some experiences in matches that don't affect us as much," Carucci added. "None of the freshmen in these matches should have any problems playing, and it's good for their confidence."
