Women's squash co?captain Jessica Rubine represented Tufts at the 2013 CSA individual championships on Friday at Trinity College, competing in the Holleran (B) division to close out the Jumbos' season.
In the opening round, Rubine squared off with Columbia freshman Reyna Pacheco. Rubine battled Pacheco through three hard fought matches but came up empty?handed, losing by scores of 11?7, 11?2, and 11?4.
The defeat dropped Rubine into the first round consolation bracket, where she then lost to Williams College's Alyssa Northrop 11?6, 11?8 and 11?2.
Despite the losses, Rubine is proud of how she fared in the final match of her season and collegiate career.
"While I didn't get the upsets I was hoping for, I played to the best of my abilities and I can end my Tufts squash career with my head held high," she said. "It was a great experience to be in the mix with the best college squash players in the country, and I am glad to have been able to end another season representing Tufts at the individuals."
With that, the Jumbos closed the book on a trying season during which they struggled to fill out their young roster, let alone win. Several players who committed to being on the team ended up not following through, resulting in the team being shorthanded for many of its matches. The Jumbos persevered but settled for a 5?13 record.
Rubine described the experience as a transition year.
"We started the season with a new head coach (Joe McManus) and had to recruit some players both at the beginning of the season and also when we came back from winter break," she said. "We definitely had our ups and downs. We had important wins at nationals against Rochester and Cal Berkley, but then couldn't pull off the win in the finals against Haverford."
Every team faces its share of obstacles, and the Jumbos were no exception. Adjusting to a new coach is hard enough, so adding lineup instability and inconsistent play to the mix proved to be a frustrating combination over the course of a long season.
"It was tough, especially for the seniors," she conceded. "While the seniors are proud of what we have accomplished over the last four years, we were hoping to finish our Tufts careers with more success."
Though the team did not score as high as she had hoped, Rubine is not disappointed with how her final season turned out. She was pleased to see her teammates gain experience and improve as the season progressed and impressed with how they overcame adversity and met every challenge.
"We all knew it wasn't going to be easy," she said, "but we had nine committed players that gave it their all from captain's practices in September all the way through nationals in February. I am proud and thankful for the players who stuck with it this season."
