Last season was a historic one for the women's tennis team, as the Jumbos successfully climbed from a national No. 9 ranking at the start of the season up to a program−best No. 5, and then reached the national quarterfinals for the first time in school history. It might come as a surprise, then, that after such an exciting season, the Jumbos are starting off the fall on a worrisome note.
The Jumbos took their first blow when three players graduated last spring, one of whom was the nationally ranked No. 7 Julia Browne (LA '11), one of the best tennis players in Tufts history and the 2010 NCAA Div. III National Singles Champion. In addition to that loss, two team members — senior Jennifer LaCara and sophomore Dana Siegel — decided independently to leave the team in order to have more time to focus on academics and personal ambitions. Even worse for the Jumbos is the fact that three players, including both of their recruited freshmen, are currently injured.
With just seven able players in a sport with six starting singles spots, a completely different atmosphere exists among the team. There is very little room for error this season.
"It's definitely a totally different feel at practice," sophomore Samantha Gann said. "We're handling it pretty well right now; we're just trying to get psyched up for the season to start. Once everyone's healthy we'll be even more mentally there."
The team remains optimistic and is doing its best to turn the small numbers into an advantage for itself.
"We'll be fine because our lineup is very deep. We've always had a lot of people that could play, so I think everyone that's playing is obviously capable of doing well," junior captain Lindsay Katz said. "And the smaller numbers could work to our advantage. We can have more individual time at practice and we can be more of a cohesive group. It's still going to work out."
Browne was not only a stellar tennis player but also a natural leader, and her absence has hit the team hard. With Browne gone, Katz is stepping into the role of captain at a crucial time when the team needs a central motivator to keep its spirits high.
"It's different without Julia, but Lindsay has been doing an amazing job as leader," Gann said. "She's filling Julia's shoes very well so far. It'll also be better once everyone really gets over the fact that Julia's not here."
Browne helped out at practices for the first two weeks of the season but is now preparing to travel to Turkey where she will be playing tennis professionally. The team's main assistant coach since 2009, Jaime Kenney, left the women's team this fall in order to become the head coach for the men's team. Replacing Kenney is Barbara Schafer, a longtime tennis companion and friend of head coach Kate Bayard.
Meanwhile, the injuries that plague sophomore Eliza Flynn and freshmen Sophie Schonfeld and Sarafina Nance will force all three to sit out for the majority of the fall season. All three, however, hope to be cleared to play during the more important spring campaign.
"The fall season is more for practice and it's a chance for the new team to bond," Katz said. "We want to be a unit and build relationships with the freshmen."
The injured freshmen are in especially unfamiliar territory, though, considering that they are unable to physically practice and play with teammates that they are just getting to know. The veterans on the team are working hard to make them feel included.
"It's obviously tough when girls on the team are injured but [Sophie and Sarafina] have been at practice and have been going to treatment," Gann said. "I felt like they were part of the team before they even got here."
The Jumbos plan to rely heavily on the abilities of their doubles players, which have always been a strength of the Tufts team.
"Last year we had probably the top doubles in the country, and this year it's not going to be any different," Gann said. "[Coach Bayard] does a really good job working with doubles, especially in the fall, and that will put us at a big advantage."
Katz will likely take Browne's spot and join sophomore Shelci Bowman at No. 1 doubles. Gann and junior Lauren Hollender will be at No. 2, and junior Janice Lam and sophomore Rebecca Kimmel will be in the No. 3 spot.
Some much−needed positive energy for the team comes in the form of brand new tennis courts, renovated over the summer. Not only are the court surfaces now much better to play on, but there is additional viewing space and seating areas for fans and spectators to better enjoy the matches. With the courts in great condition, Tufts, for the first time in years, has the opportunity to host the conference championships in the spring.
"[The courts] are so amazing," Katz said. "Obviously we play better because we used to have a few dead spots on the court. It's also a confidence boost almost because everyone's really excited to go out and play, and hopefully we'll get a lot more fans."
The team begins every new season with a goal to beat the top two teams in the country — NESCAC rivals Williams and Amherst — whom the Jumbos have not been able to upset in decades.
The Jumbos' first chance this 2011−12 season for a victory against the Ephs comes tomorrow, when they play at Williams for their season opener. Tufts is especially hopeful that it can be successful this season, because Williams graduated both members of its No. 1 doubles pairing Nikki Reich and Lucy Marchese.
"We always have great matches against Williams. In my mind, what better way to start the season than to start it against them," Gann said. "I always prefer to play against Williams than a weak Div. III school. The better the competition, the better our team will do in the spring."
