Women's tennis upsets Bowdoin to make NESCAC playoffs

The women's tennis team will be on the road at Bates next weekend after splitting its final two home games. Despite a 7-2 loss on Saturday evening to the nationally No. 2-ranked Williams Ephs, the No. 17 Jumbos had already secured their return to the championship with their upset of the No. 6 Bowdoin Polar Bears 7-2 earlier that morning.

First-year Mina Karamercan, who plays in the second position, ended the marathon day as one of only two Tufts players to win both her singles matches of the day, the other being classmate Tomo Iwasaki. For the first time this season, the Jumbos lost all three of their doubles matches against the Ephs. Karamercan, ranked as the No. 42 singles player in the nation, beat Williams' No. 25 Mia Gancayco 6-2, 6-3, while Iwasaki battled back from a first set loss in the fourth position to win a long third set.

Tufts' path to the NESCAC tournament was secured earlier in the day, though, with their shock victory over Bowdoin. Tufts' strength in doubles play, which has been one of its major weapons this year, once again set the stage for the team's victory over their higher-ranked opponents on Saturday morning. Overall, Tufts dominated their matches against Bowdoin with good communication between the doubles, smart shot-selection and aggressive play at the net. The Jumbos make the playoffs once again after ending the season with a winning 5-4 record in conference play and an 11-6 overall record, an improvement over last year’s 3-5 NESCAC record and 8-8 overall record. They’ve also demonstrated their ability to upset higher-ranked opponents this spring -- with the Bowdoin victory following spring break wins over the University of Chicago and Lewis and Clark -- helping Tufts climb the rankings. Despite their young talent and momentum on their side, the Jumbos have a tough run ahead of them through the conference tournament, with five NESCAC teams ranked in the top 10 nationally ready to contend for the top spot. They begin their fight for a title in the post-season tournament.